


A Whisper Of Hope

by Luv_Bowie_Luver



Category: David Bowie (Musician), Jack Celliers - Fandom, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, Professor Bowie, Senjou no Merry Christmas | Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence | Furyo (1983)
Genre: Adult Humor, Angst, Building Relationship, Car Smash, Caring Relationship, Challenging Behavior, Character Death, Clashing personalities, Confusion, Derogatory Language, Drunk Driving, Eventual Smut, F/M, Guns, Heavy Drinking, Implied/Referenced Bondage, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Learning Patience, Learning To Have Trust, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Male Bonding, Male Slash, Masturbation, Mild Language, Mistrust, Multi, Seduction, Slash, Slavery Reference, Smut, Spanking, Teasing, Threesome, War veterans, change of heart, coming together, homeless people, implied/referenced trauma, mild homophobia, reaching out, war references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-04-27 16:29:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 31,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5055769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luv_Bowie_Luver/pseuds/Luv_Bowie_Luver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Major Jack Celliers meets Professor David Jones. </p>
<p>When David finds a struggling young soldier laying in the gutter, he takes it upon himself to gradually ease the closely guarded man back into society but Jack won't take orders from just anyone..</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Friday Night

Friday afternoon. Thank fuck for that. If it weren't for the rare gems of actual talent that he somehow managed to unearth during his time teaching at the University, he would have found a job elsewhere a long time ago.  
  
  
"Professor!" someone called his name, "Professor Jones!"  
  
  
David turned around and quirked an impatient brow at the woman as she hurried after him.  
  
  
"Yes, what is it?" David asked, his annoyed tone making her extra nervous to have approached him so ineloquently in the first place.  
  
  
"You erm, you left this behind, sir.. " the young woman held out his cigarette lighter.  
  
  
How curious, he wasn't usually so careless.  
  
  
"Thank you," he spoke distractedly, wondering how he could possibly have left it behind.  
  
  
She stood and waited for further praise, though she felt that perhaps she might have known better by now as he turned away and continued walking towards the exit. Eager to get out of there, David shoved his cigarette lighter into his pocket and hurried on down the stairs. He wasn't well known for his kind words, parting with them reluctantly even when it was well deserved. Getting a compliment from him wasn't easy, in fact, prying open a hundred year old rusted bear trap using only your hands would have proved a lot less difficult. His classes were deathly silent, all eyes remained upon him and every focused listener was rewarded with his smooth, deep voice. He was a handsome fellow with keen blue eyes and smart suits, golden brown/blond hair smoothed back with just one thin lock that kept falling down to rest upon his forehead. He sported a single, rebellious earring in his left ear, but nobody ever dared ask why. He could teach anything and often filled in for absent teachers who called in sick, his favorite subjects however, were Science, Music and occasionally Mathematics.  
  
  
Driving his flashy car home, it was clear to anyone that he was quite rich, he was also arrogant if he didn't find you interesting and wouldn't even bother talking to you if he didn't think you were very bright. Everything had to be perfection with him, he was a fussy eater and kept a clean home. Nothing was ever out of place and he always dressed impeccably, so after his shower it was a closely followed routine of shaving and dressing for the evening. Tonight, he planned to go out and have some drinks so his informal evening clothes were the target area in the wardrobe. Dressing down wasn't something he liked to do very often, but drawing attention to himself by wearing expensive suits wasn't the best idea when going to a bar or club. He could easily just head off into a nice, fancy restaurant, fine dining and expensive cuisine was a favorite of his but every so often he just liked to go out and enjoy the atmosphere of a local watering hole. It didn't really matter which one, they all smelled of sweat, smoke and stale urine but the Bourbon was excellent (despite the filthy glass it was often poured into) 'Slumming it' was the correct term, he believed.  
  
  
It was around 6pm when he was finally seated at the bar, ordering his first drink for the night and looking around with bored yet casual interest. There were the usual crowds of people, barely legal college students who were eager to try out their new drinking privileges that came with turning a certain age, sports jocks who wanted to wind down after a hard day on the field, war veterans, older people, teachers, there were all sorts in here. David liked to sit back and just try to imagine what kind of pathetic lives these people led outside of the bar, but the soldiers he left alone from such thoughts, if anyone deserved to be respected it was those who fought for their freedom at the risk of their own lives. As his gaze flicked over there where the soldiers usually sat, which was coincidentally where most of the brawls broke out, he suddenly found himself looking directly into the steely blue eyes of a blond soldier who was staring straight back at him.  
  
  
He looked war hardened and was ruggedly handsome with a lightly tanned, muscular body. David felt awkward as the soldier winked at him, a smirk following David's rare blush as he turned his gaze away and picked up his glass. Nothing was meant by it, of course, soldiers were often the first ones to smash someone in the face if they guessed they might be anything except straight as an arrow. The era had not quite accepted the varied sexual preferences of the human race just yet, though tolerance was slowly building and relief for those 'afflicted' was on the not so distant horizon.


	2. At The Bar

Hell was quite possibly the only way that Major Jack Celliers could describe the war, he'd gone in thinking he would make up for his cowardice and had become deeply disillusioned with the army quite quickly. If he wasn't so damn good at his job, he probably would have been a lot unhappier but as it so happened, his unit was really giving the Japanese army a massive headache. That is, until they were caught. He remembered much of his stay in the POW camp, some of it was blurry and there were some forgotten times but being almost at death's door was the real kicker. He'd almost given up, sunburnt and parched, tied with rope and buried up to his neck in the sandy heat. How anyone had managed to find him was a mystery at best, but he was forever grateful to his rescuers and despite the painful recovery process, he was safe and sound now on Allied soil.  
  
  
The war was over, it was time to kick up their heels and drink away the bad memories, swap stories of how many enemies they'd killed and how many women they'd taken in the name of conquest. Jack always fell silent when the subject of women came up, it was not his area of expertise and he really wasn't into rape stories anyhow. The amount of girlfriends he'd had in his life was apparently quite laughable, so sexual inexperience made him subject to a lot of bullying among the higher ranking officers. There weren't many, as he was a Major but still, sometimes even the lower ranked ones sniggered behind their hands if they got wind of it and so Jack would either avoid joining in or if he was pushed into it, make something up just to appease their eagerly awaiting faces. He'd heard plenty enough of their disgusting boasts to be able to throw in a few explicit details, always breathing a sigh of relief when they cheered and moved on to the next guy who couldn't wait to share his story.  
  
  
Usually with his closest friends, Jack was more of a loner and tended to just hang out with other soldiers just because he needed to feel like he fit in somewhere. Of course while it might have appeared on the surface that he was having a good time, his deeper thoughts were a lot more lonely and desolate than his carefree smile may suggest.  
  
  
Snapped suddenly out of his thoughts by a sudden cheer and vulgar laughter, Jack hadn't heard the story but joined in the nudging and knowing smirks anyway. He picked up his shot glass and downed his drink in one, grimacing briefly before he caught sight of an interesting looking fellow at the bar. He was looking around as if silently judging everyone, hair all neatly dressed and face clean shaven.  
  
  
Probably gay, Jack thought amusedly and winked at the man when he noticed that he was staring straight back at him. Upon seeing the blush and averted gaze, Jack smirked and reached for another shot glass, debating whether to point this guy out to the lads for a bit of rough and tumble entertainment or just let the poor sod be. Luckily for David, Jack wasn't overly interested in the affairs or preferences of others, so long as they left him alone and kept their genitals under their clothes until they were out of the public eye. Having kept close to anyone he recognized as a soldier, Jack was never left out in the cold and always had somewhere to sleep for the night.  
  
  
Soldiers often stuck together and helped each other out, leaving no brothers in arms in the alleys or on the park benches. Jack was grateful for this too, because he'd had his fair share of rotten luck and nobody wanted to hire a trained killer after the war was over. Times were tough and it hit the returned soldiers hard, but they were not welcomed back as heroes and so they had to rely on one another and the occasional good Samaritan or Benefactor for their comforts and hot meals. Some had to resort to being treated like slaves, but were willing to set aside their dignity in order to live in a big mansion or lovely little abode with plenty of room for an indentured servant (completely off the record, naturally)  
  
  
Jack was determined that he would never end up in such an undignified situation, opting for an alley or park bench over some rich man's spare bedroom any day of the week. He imagined the hard cot and scratchy blankets, sharing the room with a bunch of mange ridden dogs with fleas and bad breath. No way, he would die first.


	3. The Soldier

David avoided looking back towards the blond soldier, the last thing he needed was to go back to campus Monday morning with a black eye or worse. He lit up a cigarette and leaned casually back for a moment, before picking up his glass and moving away from the bar in favor of a table for two. This left himself open to an uninvited guest joining him, but there were no single tables and all of the booths were taken.  
  
  
Jack watched David with mild curiosity, dislike evident in his expression at the sight of the cigarette. He wasn’t a big smoker, if ever at all and he believed it to be a disgusting habit. He took up another shot glass and hesitated, trying to figure out how drunk he was already and debating whether or not to just stop there for the night. Deciding to take it down, Jack instantly regretted his choice and groaned as it went straight to his head. He shut his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear it a little but that just made him feel physically ill.  
  
  
“One too many, ay Strafer?” asked someone to his left.  
  
  
“I think so, Leonard,” Jack responded, holding his head in his hands, “could you take me home?”  
  
  
“No probs, Strafer!” Leonard searched in his pockets for his car keys, “who’re you staying with these days?”  
  
  
“Baz and Val,” Jack replied quietly, looking at Leonard and taking note of his sluggish movements, “you pissed, too?”  
  
  
“A bit, yeah,” Leonard grinned toothily at him, “but I drive better when I’ve had a few, so come on.. Let’s get you home then.”  
  
  
Alcohol fuelled decisions were never the best ones to make, so of course Jack stood up to accompany Leonard outside to his car. Leonard took a while to actually unlock the car, Jack sat down to nurse his swooning head and ended up passing out in the gutter. Leonard forgot that he was supposed to be taking anyone home and got into his car, driving off and swerving all over the road. Jack remained where he was, unconscious and slightly shivering in the chilly night air. It did not take long for someone to notice him, but he probably would have preferred that nobody had because it was actually David who saw him first.  
  
  
David was growing more and more restless in the bar, deciding that perhaps a nice, expensive meal would really hit the spot afterall. His interests did not abound here, the women were slutty and the men were aggressive. While slutty did not necessarily bother him per say, he had no idea where they had been or who they might have slept with recently. So he finished his Bourbon, paid for the drink and let himself out.  
  
  
He’d taken no more than three steps into the crisp night air, cigarette still between his fingers, when he happened to glance down and notice the blond soldier from earlier. David took a long, slow, contemplative drag of his ciggy. Normally, he would not bother himself with a drunk in the gutter, but his admiration and respect for those who put their lives on the line just so people such as himself could live however he chose, did not permit him to simply shrug and walk away.  
  
  
David looked around curiously, but nobody else was around nor did anyone come out to look for him. He thought about going back inside and asking the soldiers inside if anyone might like to lay claim to the blond man, but the thought left his mind quickly as a cheer erupted from inside the establishment and sounds of a brawl began to break out. He turned his attention back down at the soldier, probably on leave or resting up before being shipped out somewhere for further training or whatever it is they did when there wasn’t a war to fight.  
  
  
“I suppose I could take you home,” David spoke out loud, though he knew the man could not hear him, “if I knew where home was.. “  
  
  
He carefully knelt down, stubbing out his cigarette on the pavement and slipping his hand into the man’s pocket. Pulling out the guy’s wallet, David glanced around quickly to make sure nobody was watching, he did not want to get accused of stealing. He found the soldier’s ID but there wasn’t an address on it, so he sighed in frustration and put the wallet back into the man’s pocket. He slowly stood back up, wondering what to do.  
  
  
“Jack Celliers,” he said gently, gazing down at the unconscious soldier once more, “I wonder if you’d appreciate coming home with someone such as myself?”  
  
  
It was risky, especially if Jack woke up disoriented and even more so if he had issues dealing with the war he’d been in. He might wake up and take a potshot at anything that moved, being in an unfamiliar environment might just spark a trigger or something that’d make him believe for a brief moment that he’d been captured or worse. David mulled it over and chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, then he rubbed his chin and decided that he probably shouldn’t just leave the poor thing there to suffer from hypothermia.  
  
  
But, how to get him into his car? And would he wake up and soil the back seat with his inevitable bout of throwing up, before they even reached his home?


	4. Risky Business

“This is why I normally don’t give a damn.. ” David grumbled, looking out for a taxi and not exactly relishing the idea of using public transport.  
  
  
“Fuck up will ya, Conti?” Jack grumbled, vaguely aware of a voice bothering his sleep.  
  
  
David glanced down at him and took the opportunity to haul Jack to his feet, making sure Jack’s arm was firmly around his shoulders. Jack stumbled along with him, getting into the car and laying down on the back seat. David drove home without incident, although he had to take a short detour due to a fiery accident on the road along his usual route.  
  
  
“Damn drunk drivers,” David muttered in disapproval.  
  
  
He got out of the car once he’d pulled up in his garage and he closed the garage door, then he got Jack out of the car. He encouraged Jack to walk with him, which was easier now that he’d woken up a little more. He didn’t say anything, too close to his second pass out to really be able to process much and David managed to pull off his boots before Jack suddenly noticed the bed and sank down into it. He was asleep within seconds, mouth slightly open and softly snoring. David wasn’t too bothered about the noise, it was barely audible within this room and his own bedroom was upstairs.  
  
  
“Try not to take a swing at me when you wake up,” David said quietly and then he went upstairs to bed.  
  
  
*  
  
  
David woke first, which was an easy bet if one were made, he was generally up with the sunrise or earlier and so by the time Jack began to stir, he’d already showered and drank his first cup of morning coffee. Setting down the newspaper, David looked around at the kitchen door and waited patiently.  
  
  
Dry mouth. Burning eyes. Churning guts. Pounding headache.  
  
  
“Fucking hangover,” Jack groaned and buried his head under the pillows to try and sleep it off a bit longer, but something was off. He wasn’t laying on a lumpy, old mattress and the pillows felt as though they were full of soft, feathery down. Sliding his hand along the sheets, he realized they were smooth like satin or woven silk. He lifted his head sharply, causing the pillows to fall onto the floor and he looked around wildly.  
  
  
He glanced down at himself, sighing with relief when he realized he was not naked but where was he? How did he come to be in such a flashy place?  He didn’t like the way this was heading, had he agreed to become some rich guy’s house pet?  Jack sat up and massaged his temples, trying to quell the drumbeats inside his head. He climbed down out of the bed, wandered over to the door and peered out into the hallway. His guts grumbled and gurgled, so he held his hand over his mouth and took some deep breaths to try and calm the urge to throw up.  
  
  
“Bathroom?!” Jack suddenly choked out the request, was anyone even here?  
  
  
“Second door to your right,” came a voice.  
  
  
Jack eyed the door and hurried towards it, though he felt he really should just puke all over the carpet and kick it at the walls. Rich bastards could easily afford to just buy an entire new mansion rather than just clean it up, or hire someone to do it for them. He knelt down and retched into the bowl, his body sweating and shaking soon after he was done.  
  
  
“Are you alright in there?” the voice came again, from just outside the door this time.  
  
  
“Yeah,” Jack used some toilet paper to wipe his mouth, “just prayin’ to the porcelain, mate. Bit of privacy, yeah?”  
  
  
David left him to it and went back to the kitchen to make Jack a strong cup of coffee, which was waiting for him when he ventured warily in through the open door some moments later. David gestured politely for the soldier to take a seat, Jack eyed him up and down before slowly accepting the offer and almost hugging the coffee into his chest. David quirked a brow and said nothing of it but where Jack came from; this was normal behavior. If you did not protect what little you had, you were doomed to have it taken from you. Even the food from his mouth, if someone else was hungrier than he.  
  
  
“I know you from somewhere,” Jack spoke at last, “stuffed if I know where from, though.”  
  
  
David found his manner of speaking quite droll but he allowed for the exception, he was clearly not a local lad.


	5. Testing The Waters

“My name is David Jones,” David introduced himself, “I found you in the gutter last night.”  
  
  
“Oh yeah?” Jack took a mouthful of coffee, still keeping the mug huddled to his chest, “so what do you want? A medal?”  
  
  
“There’s no need to get defensive,” David started to get annoyed with him.  
  
  
Jack felt that he begged to differ, he didn’t recognize the guy as neither friend nor foe, that meant he was a complete stranger and therefore assumed dangerous until proven otherwise.  
  
  
“Am I free to leave?” Jack questioned him suspiciously.  
  
  
“Of course,” David replied stiffly, furious at being silently accused of something so criminal as abduction, “you are also quite welcome to stay.”  
  
  
“No thanks,” Jack refused point blank, “I’m not house trained, I stink, my clothes are ratty.. Rich fucker like you wouldn’t like it.”  
  
  
Jack sniggered at the look of bemusement on David’s face, drinking more of his coffee and keeping a very watchful eye on David.  
  
  
“I teach classes at the local university,” David explained, “you’d be quite on your own for much of the time.”  
  
  
Jack remained silent, trying to decide what this guy’s angle was.  
  
  
“You’re not just offering this out of the kindness of your heart,” Jack spoke knowingly, “what’s in it for you if I hang about then?”  
  
  
“It’s a small token of thanks,” David said firmly, but gently, “nothing more, nothing less. Just until you find your feet, I am aware that it is rather difficult for a soldier to find employment right now.”  
  
  
Jack regarded him carefully and David pushed the newspaper towards him, trying to stop Jack from being so tense and alert but this was just his way. He’d had to learn to survive and always being on your guard was essential to staying alive, especially when you didn’t know where the next meal was coming from; if you even got one at all.  
  
  
He looked down at the front page and grew slightly pale, there’d been a horror smash last night and he recognized the name of his friend, Leonard, as the driver who was killed. The images of the wreckage revealed nobody would have survived such a mess, it brought back flashes of his intent to drive home with Leonard last night and he pushed the paper away from himself. David noticed Jack’s hands were shaking subtly, but he didn’t pry and simply picked up the coffee pot and refilled Jack’s mug.  
  
  
“What am I being thanked for, exactly?” Jack wondered after a while.  
  
  
“The war,” David replied, in a tone of voice that suggested Jack should have known this already.  
  
  
“What about it?” Jack asked.  
  
  
“Perhaps you deem it a thankless job,” David concluded.  
  
  
“Fucking patriots,” Jack grumbled into his cup, sighing heavily, “you want me to stay here to make yourself feel better about _not_ signing up for the war, right?”  
  
  
David sat back and pursed his lips, as hard as he was on his students and as snappy as he was to his fellow Professors, Jack had earned his entitlement to grace.  
  
  
“Do you want to lodge here or not?” David demanded impatiently.  
  
  
“Alright,” Jack smiled at him now, but it was a cheeky and conniving sort of grin, “keep your hair on, Prof. I was just yanking your chain a little.”  
  
  
David suddenly realized that Jack was not going to respect him for being lenient and graceful at all, like a true soldier’s soldier, he only adhered to routine, strict discipline and a firm tongue. Well, David thought to himself more confidently now, I can certainly provide _that.._


	6. The Odd Couple

Jack was still watching David carefully, still unsure of his intentions as he’d never really encountered someone who actually gave a damn about others. This guy didn’t exactly give him the impression of a generous man, which is why he kept his guard up despite the hospitality. Indeed David was not being his normal self around Jack, he was doing his best to be as accommodating as possible  
  
  
“Are you hungry?” David ventured, “I was going to have some eggs and bacon, or are you vegan or something?”  
  
  
“Whatever that is,” Jack smirked, “I’ll have some if you’re cooking it anyway, thanks.”  
  
  
David nodded and stood up, pleased with the gratitude that Jack had just vocally expressed, it was about time. He cooked double of everything that he’d normally have himself on a Saturday morning, then he added sausages because Jack was a strapping young lad and would have quite a much bigger appetite than himself. He was aware of Jack’s mistrustful gaze upon him the entire time, he imagined the man’s muscles were tensed up like coiled springs, ever ready for fight or flight. Though he couldn’t envision Jack running away, so he had to watch what he said and did so as not to make him feel threatened.  
  
  
David wasn’t much for fighting and Jack had clearly been trained in whatever combat the army could throw at him, for he was outwardly confident and very sure of himself. David set down the food on the table and Jack quickly filled his plate with as much as he could pile onto it, then he grabbed his fork and put his arm around his plate, leaning over it to protect it from unseen poachers. David tried not to stare at him, Jack was eating quite fast and looking around as if he expected someone to come along and try to take his food from him. If David wanted Jack to behave like a normal, civilized human being, he was going to have to lead by example.  
  
  
Jack noticed David eating his breakfast in a calm and trusting way, he had half a mind to pilfer the guy’s food and teach him not to be such a slow eater, but his own plate was piled high enough and he figured he’d not be going hungry anytime soon. Jack remembered watching one poor asshole getting pinned to the floor, having just shoved the last bread roll into his mouth. Needless to say, he never got to swallow it. The memory made him hug his plate closer to his body, but David continued on as if nothing were out of the ordinary.  
  
  
It seemed to be working only slightly, either that or Jack had stuffed his guts so full that he no longer cared if someone took his breakfast away now. He was more relaxed and had slowed down his eating, still keeping an eye on David but occasionally taking a moment or two to actually stop being so suspicious and look around a little more.  
  
  
“Nice place you got here, Prof.,” Jack commented.  
  
  
“Thank you,” David responded warily.  
  
  
“Big too,” Jack remarked with growing interest, “big enough to lodge, oh.. say, twenty homeless soldiers.. “  
  
  
“I know where this is going,” David said firmly, “don’t even think about trying to guilt me into that.”  
  
  
“Was worth a shot,” Jack responded with a half tilt of his head, his expression amused but his eyes were still something that bothered David. The eyes never lied and Jack’s were full of mistrust, sadness and pain. The horrors he must have suffered during the war, only to come back and be treated worse than a homeless bum on the streets. His emotional scars clearly ran a lot deeper than any physical ones he may have endured, for Jack’s overtly in-your-face attitude was, at least to David, a textbook defense mechanism. One that he hoped to be able to slowly but surely disarm and then perhaps he could finally get to know Jack on a more personal level. How interesting his experiences would have been, he could certainly use him as a guest speaker in some of his History classes. Jack had seen war first hand, David imagined he’d have quite a lot to say, if he could just break through that barrier first.  
  
  
“Mind if I use your shower?” Jack wondered curiously, “I mean I can always go down to the shelter and have one if you’d rather I didn’t grubby up your stall.”  
  
  
“I don’t mind at all, Jack,” David answered him, “in fact, why don’t you take a look at some of my clothes, they might fit you.”  
  
  
“I suppose I could,” Jack eyed him up and down, “we wouldn’t want the neighbors to see a dirty bum in your big, flashy mansion would we?”  
  
  
His eyes sparkled with amusement at David’s offended expression, lips twisted into an unapologetic grin and he stood up but gave pause and they both looked at Jack’s plate. There was still food on it, their eyes met and Jack appeared indecisive as to whether he should leave it or not.  
  
  
“I can put that in foil for you if you like,” David suggested, “the cooler should keep it fresh until later.”  
  
  
“Alright,” Jack agreed, a warning tone in his voice, “but if some fucker comes along and.. “  
  
  
“There’s nobody else here, Jack,” David reassured him, “and I don’t care much for reheated food myself, so it’s all yours.”  
  
  
“Oh you won’t eat reheated food,” Jack looked at him with feigned shock, “why doesn’t that surprise me?”  
  
  
David sighed as Jack wandered off, this was going to take every ounce of patience he could muster - and then some!


	7. Little Brother

Jack wandered first into a bedroom, there were plenty of them and each had clothes to choose from. Carefully selecting what he’d like to wear, he then turned to head off to the bathroom and paused when he saw a picture frame. He approached it and gazed into the eyes of a fellow soldier, his keen senses had already picked up that David was heading his way but Jack did not turn around fully. David leaned in the doorway, noticing Jack half turn but not taking his gaze from the photograph.  
  
  
“Handsome lad,” Jack commented.  
  
  
“My younger brother,” David replied, “he ran off to join the army the moment he was old enough.. still young, still a fool.” Jack looked around at him, curious now.  
  
  
“Have you heard from him?” Jack asked, “now that the war is over?”  
  
  
David looked at Jack for a long, silent moment and then he walked over to the desk to pull open a drawer just below the photograph. Jack watched him take out a letter but he didn’t need to read it when he saw the official seal.  
  
  
“It says he went missing,” David explained softly, “presumed K.I.A.”  
  
  
He set the letter back down into the drawer and closed it, he was a hard man but he had his soft points and his younger brother was one of them. Jack was beginning to understand why David was so keen to help him out, perhaps it was his way of compensating. He could not save his brother, so he’d save another soldier to make it up.  
  
  
“Yeah well, the army’s full of shit,” Jack spoke abruptly, snatching up the letter and ripping it in half with a smirk. David had him pinned to the wall within seconds, surprising the military trained grunt.  
  
  
“I could seriously damage you for that!” David threatened him.  
  
  
“Take it easy!” Jack said quickly, “I know your brother, we served together.”  
  
  
David searched Jack’s eyes, but he didn’t appear to be lying, so he slowly let go and stepped back a little way.  
  
  
“You mean you knew him,” David corrected Jack, “past tense.”  
  
  
“No,” Jack responded quietly, sensing the hope in David’s tone of voice despite the correction, “I know him. When we heard that the war had ended, he got really upset. He said he didn’t want to go home yet and ran off with this woman.”  
  
  
“Sounds like him,” David mused, doing his best to control the surge of relief and excitement that he hadn’t lost his brother after all, “what was he like as a soldier, Jack?”  
  
  
David looked to the blond man for answers, he’d missed his brother terribly and had even tried to convince him not to join up. They had so many lost years, he felt cheated.  
  
  
“He was alright,” Jack recalled, “like the rest of us, young and stupid at first. We couldn’t wait to get out there and shed some enemy blood. The trouble is, you can only look into the eyes of a dying man so many times before it starts getting to you and you realize that you’re robbing a Human Being of it’s life.”  
  
  
“Jack.. “ David started but Jack shook his head.  
  
  
“No, it’s fine, I’m fine,” Jack insisted, perhaps a little too quickly and it sounded well rehearsed, “he was a top guy, I’m proud to have served with him and.. I’m proud to have met the famous big brother he always went on about. I had no idea it was you, though I suppose I should have connected the dots.. It’s the alcohol I think, it makes me forget stuff sometimes.”  
  
  
“Jack,” David stopped him by touching his upper arm gently, “you’re rambling.”  
  
  
Jack nodded and closed his mouth, he did that sometimes when he got really worried about something and seeing those blank, yet terrified eyes all over again in his head, it triggered this defense of nonstop chatter to keep his mind busy.  
  
  
“Before he left,” Jack said softly, staring at the photograph, “he told us all a message to give to his family. I never thought it’d be me giving it to you, though. To be honest, I didn’t ever expect to leave Japan alive.”  
  
  
David was keen to hear the message but waited silently for Jack to get to it in his own time. Jack sometimes wished that he did smoke, now would have been the perfect time to light up.  
  
  
“He says he’s going to lay low until the unrest is over,” Jack relayed the message to the best of his recollection, “he plans on finding work and earning enough to bring his girlfriend back to Allied soil to be married and start a family. He said.. He says to keep a cold one in the fridge for him, that you haven’t seen the last of him and not to worry.”  
  
  
David nodded in silent gratitude, somehow sensing by Jack’s following silence that the soldier wanted to be left alone now. He turned and walked back downstairs, picking up the phone to inform the rest of the family of the good news. He hesitated and set the phone back down, they hadn’t called or written to him in years..  
  
  
_Why should he tell them anything?_


	8. Tell The Truth

“Um, David?” Jack called from the bathroom.  
  
  
David glanced up from his thoughts and made his way into the bathroom, where Jack stood shirtless and looking a bit out of his depth. David’s eyes wandered over the faded marks that slashed across the soldier’s back, wincing involuntarily as it looked quite painful despite Jack’s apparent ignorance of it.  
  
  
“I’m afraid I’ve never been in a bathroom as fancy as this,” Jack admitted, “how uh, how does it go?”  
  
  
“You just step into the stall,” David replied quietly, “it’s already set to a nice temperature, the water should just come on when you walk onto the pressure pads.”  
  
  
“Handy,” Jack mused, slipping out of his trousers, “so how long before the water turns cold?”  
  
  
“What?” David furrowed his brow, “it doesn’t go cold.”  
  
  
“What, never?” asked Jack, lifting a brow, “I can stay in here for a while then?”  
  
  
“As long as you like,” David invited him, “take your time.”  
  
  
“Go on then, get out,” Jack flashed him a knowing smirk and David gave him a warning look right back, this was his home and he wasn’t about to let even Jack throw his weight around.  
  
  
Jack stepped into the shower and absently startled when the water suddenly shot down at him, but he soon relaxed and began to soap up, so David left him to it and returned to the living room. Neither of them were particularly bothered about the fact that Jack had been naked, but what did bother David was that Jack hadn’t shown even the slightest bit of modesty. That in itself was a worry, had they stripped him of his dignity so much that he didn’t feel the need to cover up anymore?  
  
  
Jack behaved like he was completely intact and almost unphased by the war, but David saw more than what he was showing, he saw a very scared and troubled young man who was probably very close to breaking point.  
  
  
“Scrub up pretty good, don’t I?” Jack’s voice broke into David’s thoughts, so he glanced around and held his breath for a moment.  
  
  
Jack was wearing one of David’s simple black t-shirts and a pair of faded dark jeans, the shirt was a snug fit over his muscles but it worked nice enough. The jeans were a smaller fit too, but he chose not to say anything about that because he liked to wear them that way himself.  
  
  
“Not too bad I suppose,” David finally answered him, standing up off the sofa.  
  
  
“Oh come on,” Jack approached him, “you have got such a fucking boner just now.. Fucking _queer_.. “  
  
  
“Watch your mouth, soldier!” David raised his voice, “I won’t have you speaking to me that way any more, got it?!”  
  
  
Jack dropped his gaze briefly, lifting it again to search David’s eyes but found nothing passive within them, so he backed down.  
  
  
“You’re not with your buddies now, Jack,” David reminded him, “you will keep a civil tongue in this house, do I make myself clear?”  
  
  
“Crystal, darling,” Jack pushed his luck and David took a step forwards.  
  
  
Jack flinched slightly, but stood his ground and David kept very still. He needed to show Jack who was boss, but without actually hurting him because that’s what he was expecting to happen and David refused to raise his fist to anyone, it simply wasn’t his way of doing things. Jack’s stare was a defeated one, resigning himself to the fact that he was about to get beaten up but there was also a spark within his eyes, his hands closed into fists and he silently challenged David to make a move against him.  
  
  
“I’m not going to strike you,” David informed him carefully.  
  
  
“Oh no, can’t have you chipping a nail,” Jack spoke evenly.  
  
  
“Look, I’m not going to pretend that I know what you’re going through,” David tried again to reach Jack, “but you are going to start showing me a little respect.”  
  
  
“Am I really?” Jack wondered, circling David, who stood still and simply lifted his head higher, “I’m not one of your students that you can just push around.”  
  
  
“I’m not trying to push you around!” David raised his voice, “I want to help you! Why can’t you just accept that?”  
  
  
“Because it’s fucking bullshit!” Jack spoke angrily, right up in David’s face now, “I know your sort, you’ve got no interest in my personal life.. You’re just looking for someone to wash your back and fold your fucking sheets!”  
  
  
David was taken aback by the sudden accusation, it boiled his blood and got him so riled up that he actually made fists and Jack was already tensing up with the typical flight or fight response when he noticed.  
  
  
“I know it looks that way,” David kept his temper down to a simmer, “I’ve seen it happen, believe me. I don’t want a servant, I.. “  
  
  
He trailed off and Jack narrowed his eyes, inclining his head and waiting for the explanation. But how could he admit to Jack that he had barely a friend in the world? Those who worked with him found him overbearing and terrifying, those who worked for him were nervous and jittery in his presence. Everyone else knew about him from his co-workers and found him intimidating based on his reputation alone, so it was hard for him to kick back and try to get to know anyone. Not that he really gave a damn most of the time, he was far too busy for all that socializing rubbish, but sometimes it got to him when he saw people just being friendly and laughing with each other.  
  
  
He used to have that with his brother, so it wasn’t like he didn’t know what he was missing and it made him sometimes pine hard for a male relationship. Jack was most likely thinking that David wanted to use him for labor and casual sex, but what David was really looking for, was a friend. Someone to talk to and joke around with, someone he could relax around and just.. be a guy. He wasn’t even sure if he remembered how to relax and just be himself around others anymore, he was so used to being in charge and telling people what to do all the time that he found it almost impossible to ever actually switch off.  
  
  
Jack reminded David that not everyone was going to take his dominant attitude like a whimpering dog, it was good for him to have found somebody who would bite back on occasion and challenge him on some level.  
  
  
“Off with the fairies, are we?” Jack interrupted his thoughts again.  
  
  
David sighed as Jack laughed and brushed by him to head into the kitchen, it was certainly touch and go at this point for both of them. Jack wasn’t having any of David’s explanations and David was becoming quickly fed up with Jack’s smartass attitude. He knew it was a coping mechanism, perhaps even a defense one as well but it wasn’t necessary here.  
  
  
Jack pulled out a beer from the fridge and turned around to look at David when he entered the kitchen, cracking open the can and smiling mischievously.  
  
  
“What is it going to take for you to believe me?” David asked him directly.  
  
  
Jack gulped down the contents of the can and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, crushing the can in his hand as if it were made of paper.  
  
  
“What’s your angle, hm?” Jack demanded, “am I some sort of case study? A project for your students to learn from? I don’t know you, alright? I just woke up in your fucking house! You’ll have to forgive me if that seems just a little bit creepy!”  
  
  
“Yes, it looks bad,” David frowned, “and I apologize for that but I have explained to you already.. “  
  
  
“I know, I know,” Jack tossed the can into the rubbish bin, “you did me a solid and I’m grateful, but I can’t live here.. I don’t.. Don’t deserve it.”  
  
  
David felt that he was finally getting somewhere in trying to piece together this million piece puzzle named Jack Celliers.  
  
  
“Jack, after everything you’ve done and all that you have been through,” David spoke firmly, but it was no use because Jack had already turned his face away.  
  
  
“Don’t give me that bleeding heart crap,” Jack sighed heavily, “just tell me the truth. Why am I really here?”  
  
  
His harsh blue eyes lifted to lock with David’s almost equally as hard stare.  
  
  
“Alright,” David finally relented and decided to try and see if the truth would work, “you want me to be brutally honest? Fine. I’m.. I don’t really.. _Fuck_.. “  
  
  
This was harder than he thought, admitting he was basically alone and wanted Jack to be his friend, it was high school for him all over again.  
  
  
“Okay?” Jack looked at him curiously, “just spit it out, come on.. “  
  
  
“This place is too big for just one person,” David tried to paint a picture for him, rather than just come out with it.  
  
  
“Am I understanding correctly that you’re a bit of a loner?” Jack guessed correctly, “bit of an oddball, don’t fit in with the crowd.. I bet you see just about every other person as a bunch of mindless drones, buzzing off to work or school with not even an ounce of clarity in their dull, unassuming gazes.”  
  
  
David looked a little surprised, perhaps he had underestimated the soldier and for this, he felt both terrible and ecstatic. It wasn’t easy to find someone of high intelligence to talk to, Jack may not have been rich or classy but he was definitely switched on to the world around him.  
  
  
“Would you stay?” David prompted.  
  
  
Jack sized him up, looking him over and softening his harsh blue eyes a little.  
  
  
“I suppose I could,” Jack responded casually, as if he could take it or leave it, “you uh, wanna go find some ladies tonight?”  
  
  
David got the impression that Jack would change his behavior depending on those surrounding him, to better fit in or blend into the mix and not be singled out. It was a pretty good survival technique, one that he wished he’d learned himself but probably not in the horrific way that Jack would have had to have learned it.  
  
  
“We could do that,” David replied uncertainly.  
  
  
“Oh, don’t worry,” Jack suddenly spoke up brightly, “if you get lucky, I’ll just put my fingers in my ears.”  
  
  
He started laughing and David pursed his lips, but if he was going to be friends with Jack, he was probably going to have to develop a sense of humor..


	9. Guns And Guys

“You don’t have a gun,” Jack mentioned in passing, as he doubled back into the living room, “either that or I just haven’t found it yet.”  
  
  
“Guns make me nervous,” David replied, placing his records carefully back into place after he’d found them scattered on the floor around the turntable.  
  
  
“Oh yeah?” Jack grinned at him and leaned against the wall, watching him with folded arms, “so you’re just a sitting duck then?”  
  
  
“How so?” David asked, placing the last record into place and standing up.  
  
  
“Well if somebody were to break in,” Jack replied, “you’d have a gun in your face, but not one to protect yourself with. Sounds nutty if you ask me, why would you want to be defenseless?”  
  
  
“I have a security system,” David told him, “I am quite safe.”  
  
  
“How does it work?” asked Jack.  
  
  
“It’s very loud,” David spoke dismissively, “now, I am going to have to ask you to stop making a mess everywhere you go.”  
  
  
“You really should own a gun,” Jack warned him.  
  
  
“Jack, what is a soldier without a gun?” David asked him.  
  
  
“Many things,” Jack answered, “probably afraid, easily dead in the face of the enemy, a sitting duck.. “  
  
  
David was hoping he’d say a civilian or something similar, thus proving his point but Jack was not the typical nor average person he was used to encountering.  
  
  
“Are you armed?” David suddenly wondered.  
  
  
“Naturally,” Jack responded calmly, “I’ve never had to use it, but you can’t ever be too careful, you know?”  
  
  
“What do you think is out there?” David ventured curiously.  
  
  
“Do you always ask so many questions?” Jack pushed away from the wall and stood back from David.  
  
  
He looked quite defensive now, perhaps David had struck a nerve or something?  A car suddenly backfired outside and David jumped a little, but Jack dropped to the floor and had his gun in his hand within a second.  
  
  
“Jack, it-it was just a car,” David reassured him. Jack sighed and rolled over onto his back, gazing up at the ceiling in frustration.  
  
  
“Have you been to see a counsellor or something?” David asked him.  
  
  
“I suppose I should,” Jack didn’t get up off the floor, “I’m entitled to it, but I’m not really into all that touchy feely crap.”  
  
  
David shook his head.  
  
  
“Things can’t get better if you keep bottling it all up inside,” David told Jack.  
  
  
“Do you have a therapist?” Jack asked him, looking at David from where he lay.  
  
  
“I.. Have other ways to relieve stress,” David admitted, perhaps a little too honestly.  
  
  
“Yeah.. I bet you do,” Jack laughed amusedly, “right hand or left?”  
  
  
“Really?” David frowned at him.  
  
  
“So, girls or guys?” Jack wondered, sitting up a little.  
  
  
“Ninety nine percent of them are women,” David responded idly, “there are places I could show you.. “  
  
  
“I am aware of them,” Jack tilted his head curiously, “can’t always afford it, though sometimes I get lucky with a gorgeous girl from the bar.. Well, I say gorgeous but that isn't always the case, not that I’m fussy or anything and once or twice she wasn’t actually a she if you know what I mean but hey, you take what you can get right? A fuck’s a fuck and there’s always a hole somewhere you can stick it into.”  
  
  
“True,” David spoke slowly, “a little crude perhaps, but true.”  
  
  
Jack was rambling again, clearly nervous about something but what? Jack stood up and holstered his gun, clearing his throat and hoping David hadn’t picked up that he’d just bull shitted him about knowing everything about sex. He barely knew anything at all really, just what he’d heard from the other guys and he did have a girlfriend once upon a time, so he could easily fool anyone into thinking he was at best a stud, or at worst a slut.  
  
  
“I prefer to be in control myself,” David revealed. Jack was silent, not sure what he meant or if he was even still on the subject of sex.  
  
  
“Do you like to be in control, Jack?” David asked him curiously and Jack sort of went a little red in his face, unable to determine the context of the question, had they moved on from the last conversation?  
  
  
“I suppose I can take it or leave it,” Jack bluffed. David wasn’t sure what he meant by that, it was quite a dubious response that gave him the impression Jack hadn’t a clue what he was on about.  
  
  
“You know, taking command,” David walked towards him and held his head up high, circling Jack now slowly, “showing her who is boss.”  
  
  
Jack kept his head up as well, watching David intently and tensing up instinctively. David circled closer to him, enjoying Jack’s obvious discomfort.  
  
  
“Making her bend over in a humiliating pose,” David rasped close to Jack’s ear, still slowly circling him, “spanking her fleshy arse.. Hearing her beg for more.. “  
  
  
Jack’s eyes closed and then opened again, moving his hands in front of his sudden erection. David stopped circling him, that had been far too easy, either Jack was lying about his sexual experience or he hadn’t had any for a long time. Either way, he was being exposed as a great talker and an excellent chameleon. Jack swallowed dryly, trying to recompose himself and David walked over to the window, pushing it open and lighting up a cigarette.  
  
  
“You said ninety nine percent,” Jack spoke quietly.  
  
  
“I did,” David breathed out some smoke from his nose and looked over at him.  
  
  
“So there’s a one percent chance you fuck a queer?” Jack wondered. David sighed and leaned his head against the window pane.  
  
  
“Jack, not everyone who fucks someone of the same sex is ‘queer’, as you put it,” David tried to explain, “sometimes it’s just.. a change. Something different, a once off.”  
  
  
“A once off only happens once,” Jack argued, “never again.”  
  
  
“I don’t mean it literally,” David took a long drag of his cigarette, “sometimes I just want to lose control. Not often, mind you, perhaps only once in a great while and when I do, if a certain person has captured my interest, I would approach them first. It’s very rarely ever a man, but damn.. When it is.. _God_.. “  
  
  
He trailed off, looking reminiscent and Jack was left wondering what all the fuss was about.


	10. A Show Of Trust

David’s head was tilted back, eyes closed and a small smile on his face. Jack shoved his hands into his pockets, looking a bit lost on the subject but not wanting to sound like some white collared virgin and so keeping silent for the time being.  
  
  
“What about you, Jack?” David opened his eyes, catching him a little off guard, “have you ever felt the need to just, lose control and submit to someone else? Put yourself completely into their hands?”  
  
  
Jack averted his gaze, it certainly didn’t sound very appealing to him at all.  
  
  
“No,” Jack answered honestly, “not at all.”  
  
  
David was fascinated by this answer, curious to know where it had stemmed from.  
  
  
“You don’t have an ounce of trust inside of your body, do you?” David spoke carefully, clearly hitting another raw nerve as Jack looked at him quite angrily now.  
  
  
“You have seen my body,” Jack retorted stiffly, “why would you assume that I even have a reason to be trusting of anyone?”  
  
  
“Yes, I have seen the scars and I apologize,” David acknowledged him, “but this isn’t Japan, it’s America. The war is over and not everyone wants to hurt you, Jack.” David stood up and stubbed out his cigarette into an ashtray upon the window sill.  
  
  
“Do you trust me, Jack?” David wondered, meeting the soldier’s defiant stare with his own. Jack faltered a little, going over it in his mind but unable to find any indication that David was a threat to him.  
  
  
“I.. I suppose,” Jack replied uncertainly, putting his guard back up in the form of a casual smirk, “why? You wanna fuck?”  
  
  
David resisted the urge to punch him and simply took in a long, deep breath, counting backwards from five.  
  
  
“Don’t make it sound like something dirty and disgusting,” David scolded him firmly, “with the right person, I assure you it can be an incredible experience, Jack.. One that I would very much like to share with you sometime.”  
  
  
“Yeah, well.. “ Jack looked at him amusedly, hiding the fear that was clearly evident in his eyes, despite the casual smile on his face, “no offense Prof, but you’re really not my type.”  
  
  
David was highly doubtful that Jack even knew what a type was, let alone had one.  
  
  
“I don’t need to be,” David responded calmly, “as long as there’s a connection, or chemistry, anything.. a spark, an interest.. curiosity.. “  
  
  
Jack was listening, but he was displaying body language that suggested he was bored and starting to tune out. David figured to leave the subject alone for now, he had baited the hook, now he just had to wait. Jack was a fine young man, David felt the urge to possess him, to own him and take him down onto the bed but Jack was fighting his attempts at seduction. Not wanting things to be weird between them, David held fast to his decision about dropping the subject. This wasn’t how friends behaved, this conversation was far too early to be had just now. If ever.  
  
  
“I’d have to be pretty fucking hammered,” Jack spoke defensively again, “but you wouldn’t be doing me, got it? I’d have you.”  
  
  
David raised a brow at his self assured statement, what an interesting thing to say..  
  
  
“Is that so?” David broke his own rule about dropping the subject.  
  
  
“Yeah,” Jack smirked at him, “got a problem with that, have you?”  
  
  
“As a matter of fact,” David stepped up to him and they met eye to eye, “I do.”  
  
  
A silent challenge swelled up between them, hard and determined eyes stared at one another, each daring the other to make a move first. Jack was the first to look away, his nerves getting the better of him. He didn’t need to be on his guard so highly here, he was beginning to figure that out and it was a relief because such a state of mind was very exhausting after a while.  
  
  
“So let’s go visit one of your favorite hot spots tonight,” Jack suggested, “pick up a couple of cute girls, your treat, what do you reckon?”  
  
  
David closed the blinds of the window and took off his tie, Jack slowly looked around at him and furrowed his brow.  
  
  
“What are you doing?” Jack wondered.  
  
  
David kept his silence about him and began to unbutton his shirt, keeping his eyes on Jack, who was watching him with a hard stare. David let his shirt drop to the floor, slowly moving his hands to his belt and feeling a burning sensation in his cheeks and ears when Jack continued to just stand there and stare at him harshly. He suddenly got nervous and fumbled with the belt buckle, feeling as if he had all thumbs.  
  
  
Jack took a step closer to him and David paused, lifting his gaze to meet with those of the soldier, who slowly and carefully took off David’s belt for him. They were hesitant in that moment, each thinking it was too soon and yet sensing the other’s willingness to continue anyway. Jack lowered his gaze down slowly over David’s body to his pants, then back up again to gaze into his eyes. By making himself appear vulnerable, David had easily calmed the tension from Jack’s body by more than half.  
  
  
“Alright,” Jack spoke softly now, “you’ve made your point.”  
  
  
“Have I?” David asked quietly.  
  
  
“Yeah,” Jack let his gaze trail down over David’s chest and abdomen again. David wasn’t sure exactly which point he’d made to Jack, because Jack took things in a different way than most people and he often saw things differently to everybody else, David had picked this up very quickly from the beginning. He went to pick up his shirt, but Jack placed his booted foot on it and stopped him. David looked at Jack in frustration, thinking it to be one of his humorous attempts at annoying him.


	11. Competing

“Get your boot off my shirt,” David growled, “it’s expensive!”  
  
  
“So are my boots,” Jack pushed his luck.  
  
  
“I could easily buy ten pairs of your boots in place of just half a shirt!” David scolded him, “lift your foot!”  
  
  
“No,” Jack replied firmly, “you’re halfway there, why don’t you take it all off?”  
  
  
Jack suddenly found himself being driven into the wall, he hit it hard and lost his breath for a brief moment. David pressed Jack into the wall, their noses almost touching as he fiercely lost his temper at last.  
  
  
“Do you really want to find out how far you can push me before I crack?” David asked through clenched teeth, “because it’s not going to work! So stop it!”  
  
  
Jack swallowed dryly as David slowly eased off and let him go, but remained close so that Jack had to stay flat against the wall. He noticed Jack’s bewildered expression had turned quickly to defeat, then to rage and insolence and finally, half amused yet mildly nervous.  
  
  
“Am I ever going to get through to you, Jack?” David asked him, realizing it was only the first day but he was not a patient man and expected fast results from everyone. Jack was inadvertently showing him that not every situation could be corrected with a firm hand and yet sometimes a firm hand was absolutely necessary at the same time.  
  
  
As a soldier, Jack instinctively responded to the barking orders of the chain of command and if David let his authority slip even just a little, Jack took full advantage of it and did his best to assert his own dominance over David. Each time he did this, David was quick to reassert himself into the top position of the situation, Jack always fell into place after a while but it wasn’t easy to keep him there and David found himself on his guard a lot more often than not.  
  
  
“Just keeping you on your toes,” Jack forced himself to grin casually, “take it easy.. “  
  
  
David exhaled long and slow, running his fingers through his hair and calming himself down. He was generally a very calm and collected person, at least outwardly and it bothered him that Jack could manipulate him so easily into losing his cool. It made him question whether or not he actually could keep Jack in tow, or if the situation would eventually reverse and he’d find himself answering to the soldier instead of giving the orders. It was a worry, but oddly enough, strangely exciting and it made him curious about bedding Jack all over again.  
  
  
Jack, unaware of David’s trail of thought just now, slipped away from being wedged between him and the wall and went to look out of the window, opening the blinds a little to peek out of them. David turned around and watched him for a few moments, wondering what Jack was thinking about but he didn’t have to ask.  
  
  
“Sometimes I look out at the hills,” Jack spoke quietly, “when I can see them.. And I imagine they’re infested with enemy soldiers, tanks, traps, land mines.. I can’t look up into the trees without expecting to see them up there, waiting for me.. “  
  
  
David had studied trauma only very briefly, found it disturbing and went on to find a more scientific study to pursue, he wished he’d have at least stuck with it now and perhaps then he would know how better to help Jack, or even just to understand him better.  
  
  
“Is that why you’re always at the bar?” David ventured, “does it make you feel safer?”  
  
  
“My friends make me feel safer,” Jack replied, not turning from the window, “I know they’ve always got my back. I’m at the bar because drinking makes it all go away, at least for a while and if I’m really lucky, I’ll forget some stuff completely.. Only trouble with that is, I don’t get to choose which memories to destroy, I can barely recall my mother’s face at times anymore.”  
  
  
David walked over to him and stood close to Jack, following his gaze over to an apartment building across the street. There was a young woman wandering about inside one of the rooms, wearing absolutely nothing and seeming to be completely nonchalant about her curtains being wide open.  
  
  
“I wonder what room she’s in?” Jack spoke softly.  
  
  
“You could go and find out,” David said quietly into his ear.  
  
  
Jack tensed up as he felt David’s arms snaking around his waist, he eased himself back a little and leaned into David, letting his eyes close and his head fall back to rest upon David’s shoulder. Once Jack’s body had completely relaxed, David straightened up a little.  
  
  
“Come on,” David parted from him.  
  
  
“Where are we going?” Jack asked him, watching David put his shirt back on.  
  
  
“I think we could both do with some fresh air,” David responded calmly, “fancy a walk around the block?”  
  
  
“I see no sense in it,” Jack puzzled, “but alright.. “  
  
  
David’s plan was simple, he just needed to keep showing Jack that not every touch was going to lead to neither violence nor sex. Sometimes, a hug was simply a hug and nothing more. Perhaps then Jack could relax and start trusting people, get his life back on track and maybe even get his shit together, as Jack would have put it and find a decent job. Earning a wage was something of a confidence booster, it was certainly a step in the right direction and at the very least, it couldn’t hurt to have a bit of cash in his pockets at the end of the week.


	12. Who You Really Are

As they walked along, David felt much better to be outside in the fresh air but it also felt so good to be walking alongside someone he could tolerate.. though only just at times.  
  
  
“So, you’re a Uni Professor,” Jack broke the silence as they rounded the first corner, “what’s that like?”  
  
  
“Don’t get me started,” David groaned.  
  
  
“That bad?” Jack laughed, “why do you do it?”  
  
  
“I sometimes wonder,” David replied thoughtfully, “some of my students are quite brilliant, I am always hard on them because I expect more from the smarter ones, you know?”  
  
  
“Yeah,” Jack nodded, “I know a few officers like that.”  
  
  
“Hmm, I don’t really bother with the dreamers,” David went on, “they usually drop out after a lesson or two. But every so often, I come across a mind so gifted, I set them up to fail.”  
  
  
“You.. Why?” Jack frowned.  
  
  
“Because I want them to fail,” David explained with a superior smirk on his face, “they either rise to the challenge and deny me my wish, or they crack under the pressure and I know then that they didn’t really have the right stuff after all.”  
  
  
“I see,” Jack murmured, “alright, I suppose that sort of makes sense to a nutter like you.”  
  
  
This time, David did not shoot a warning look at Jack and simply looked amused, taking it as a compliment or a term of endearment. Jack never really meant it when he called David names, he and his soldier buddies called each other names all the time, it was just something he was used to and David’s violent outbursts were confusing him. He was relieved when it hadn’t happened again, figuring that David must have finally understood that he meant nothing by it.  
  
  
“So where do you see yourself in ten years, Jack?” David asked in return, “any plans for the future?”  
  
  
“I hadn’t really thought about it,” Jack answered him seriously and David recalled him mentioning that he had not even expected to survive the war, let alone think about his future.  
  
  
“Perhaps I can help you,” David offered casually, not wanting Jack to think it was an act of pity, “when you’re ready, that is.”  
  
  
“That’s very generous of you,” Jack gave him a sideways glance, “but what do you honestly believe you can teach me?”  
  
  
“You’re a smart man, Jack,” David had him sussed out already, “I’m certain I could teach you almost anything. What are you interested in?”  
  
  
Jack turned his gaze back to the shop windows, slowing his pace to look at the pretty dresses and shoes that reminded him of how much he missed intimate contact with people. In the barracks, they slept all in one room and he was accustomed to the scent of many men surrounding him, so being on his own was like torture for Jack and the more people he was near, the better he felt.  
  
  
“I like to be around people,” Jack spoke his thoughts to David, “lots of people, all the time.”  
  
  
“Hmm,” David’s brow furrowed in thought, “perhaps a security guard or a police officer.”  
  
  
“Nah, no violence,” Jack shunned the suggestions, despite the fact that he would have excelled at both jobs.  
  
  
“Leave it with me,” David told him, he would have to get to know Jack a lot better in order to pair him with a suitable occupation, “in the meantime, you’ll stay with me.”  
  
  
It wasn’t an offer nor a question this time, it was almost an order and as predicted, Jack didn’t argue. David relaxed his shoulders and let himself smile faintly for having figured out one way to handle the soldier, they were both learning here. Jack was very slowly beginning to open up and because of him, David was suddenly being introduced to patience. As they walked around the next corner, Jack slowed once again to watch a store window full of televisions. David encouraged him to move along, as there was a war movie screening and he didn’t want to lose what precious little breakthrough he’d managed to make so far.  
  
  
“You mentioned this morning that you’ve seen me before,” David cleverly distracted Jack and walked a little faster so that he had to keep pace, “now that I think about it, I swear I’ve seen you somewhere before too.”  
  
  
“You do look familiar,” Jack agreed, looking at him carefully, “it’s right there, on the tip of my tongue but I just can’t place you. Were you ever in New Zealand? Or Japan?”  
  
  
“I’ve been just about everywhere,” David responded firmly, “I am the highest paid university professor in the world.. Excuse me.. “  
  
  
Jack stopped walking, something had caught David’s attention and as he looked on, his hand slipped down to rest on the handle of his gun. There were some men trying to take some poor old woman’s meagre possessions as she pushed them around in her grocery cart, David was shouting at them and the authoritative tone of his voice triggered a flashback in Jack’s memory.  
  
  
He was barely aware of anything going on around him as the memory played itself out in his mind, his eyes blank and staring out at nothing. The memory was blurred and there were blank spaces everywhere, because he had kept drifting in and out of consciousness at the time. It was back when he thought he would die soon, buried in the hot sand and left for dead. His blurred vision saw people coming towards him, then darkness. Another brief glimpse at their blurred faces and water was being forced down his throat, then darkness again.  
  
  
Jack remembered hearing that voice, the very same voice he was hearing now. It demanded they get him up and out of the sand, despite the assurance that Jack was too far gone and not worth saving. The order was insisted upon and Jack was dragged out of the sand, untied and then darkness claimed him again. The last thing he remembered seeing, was that face looking at him and asking him to hold on and not to give up. But if that was David, it just raised more questions. What was he doing in Japan after the war was over? Who gave him command of a search and recover unit? Or was it search and rescue? How had anyone even known where he was, or where to look for him?  
  
  
David soon returned after getting rid of the men who were harassing the old woman, letting out a long breath of air and lighting up a cigarette to calm his angry nerves.  
  
  
“Fucking arseholes,” David grumbled, blowing smoke out of his mouth and following the old woman with his intense gaze until she was out of sight.  
  
  
“You saved my life,” Jack told him then.  
  
  
David turned to him and squinted, still a little foggy on the placement until it suddenly hit him and he had a ‘duh’ moment.  
  
  
“I _knew_ you looked familiar,” David finally recognized him, “you’re looking so much better than when I last saw you.. Shit, you were almost dead.. Nobody believed you were going to pull through.”  
  
  
“You did.. I have questions,” Jack warned him, as they slowly arrived back at the front of David’s home.  
  
  
“I thought you might,” David replied, opening the front door, “but we’ll need to sit down first, it’s a really long story.. “


	13. The Rescue

Jack sat down while David poured them both a glass of brandy, he slowly let himself ease down onto the sofa beside Jack, who shifted closer to David as he instinctively sought that closeness after being away from his friends for so long now. David took a deep breath and began telling Jack how his father was actually a very high up man in the military, David was visiting on the day when his father was very busy, so he’d sent his son out with the team to locate anyone who might have been left behind. They were supposed to recover bodies, load them up onto the trucks and send them back to the compound. If there were any survivors, they were supposed to radio for an ambulance or a helicopter if they couldn’t wait that long.  
  
  
David explained that he’d got word of the war being basically over, so his father had invited him up to sit in on the debriefing and see his old man in action but it hadn’t quite worked out that way. The enemy were refusing to give up and some rogue battalions were still firing on them, so his father had to send out special recovery teams to return their lost and fallen brothers back to their families. David wasn’t keen to go with them, but his father had insisted upon it, knowing his son was a born leader and wouldn’t take any shit from the officers. Indeed this decision had saved Jack’s life, because it had been unanimous that Jack wouldn’t make it but David was a determined and stubborn man and insisted they try everything before just giving up like that.  
  
  
So a chopper was called, Jack was rescued and after that, David continued looking for more survivors for several days. Eventually returning home to London, David took a few weeks to recover before heading out to America, where he’d landed a job with quite a hefty wage. Many, many men had been killed in the war, so it was hard to find educated people to teach the students. It was an opportunistic time, sad as it may be but he needed a job and they needed a teacher.  
  
  
Jack listened silently to everything David was telling him, his intense blue gaze settled on the floor as he pictured the scenes described to him and he felt as if he were living it all over again, it was so vivid in his mind.  
  
  
“There was.. a pistol.. “ Jack spoke hesitantly, trying to remember, “pressed into my.. my forehead.. “  
  
  
“Yes,” David nodded, speaking softly, “they were calling it a mercy killing, you were suffering and so far gone already. I almost turned my back and let them do it, but I couldn’t. I told them to get you out of that pit and hoped to hell that I wouldn’t regret it by making you suffer through the struggle to survive, only to die from your injuries hours or even days later.”  
  
  
Jack shuddered and David thought about putting his arm around the soldier, but he thought better of it and simply topped up Jack’s drink instead. Probably not the best course of action, drinking and remembering traumatic events, but the conversation had led them here and the brandy helped to soften the atmosphere somewhat. Jack finished the glass quickly and set it down, getting slowly to his feet.  
  
  
“I uh.. I’m tired now,” Jack told David, “might just.. “  
  
  
He wavered and David stood up quickly, setting down his own glass and reaching out to steady Jack.  
  
  
“I think you’ve been through so much,” David said firmly, “that your mind needs to rest. Come on, off to bed with you.”  
  
  
Jack nodded and walked unsteadily to the bedroom, David followed him just to ensure that he made it to the bed and Jack sat down onto the edge of it. With a deep and heavy sigh, Jack removed his shirt and pants but pulled on a pair of shorts and lay down onto the sheets. David leaned in the doorway and watched him lay there, Jack knew he hadn’t gone away yet and wondered why, before he soon drifted off to sleep. David knew that Jack was starting to really show him a lot of trust now, falling asleep while being watched was difficult to do unless you knew the person wouldn’t try anything while you were unconscious.  
  
  
Such a helpless position to be in, David took the display very seriously and wouldn’t do anything to give Jack a reason not to continue trusting him. It had been only a day, not even that and so much had happened already, he didn’t blame the poor, exhausted soul for needing to rest. David glanced at the clock on the wall, it was just after lunch and he would very much like to go out again later. So he went upstairs to his bedroom for a rest himself, he planned to read for a while until Jack woke up but for some reason, the lines in the book began to blur and he was soon fast asleep as well.  
  
  
Within minutes, Jack was awake and seeking out the warm bodies of his mates, he ventured upstairs and hesitated to look at David for a little while. Determining that he was actually asleep and not just resting his eyes, Jack looked sheepish anyway as he crept into the man’s bed and carefully shifted as closely as he dared. The body heat was what he was after, the touch and scent of someone else in the bed with him. Huddling up during the war was essential, it got damn cold at night and blankets just weren’t readily available out in the woods or in a prison camp. It was quite easy to get deathly ill out there and Jack had grown so accustomed to the huddling, it was difficult for him to really sleep deeply when he was alone.  
  
  
Shifting closer and closer, Jack huddled up to David and sighed softly as his eyes closed once more and he went straight back to sleep within seconds of his head resting on David’s chest. Feeling the gentle pressure, David started awake and looked down silently at Jack. Pursing his lips and sighing heavily, David carefully put his arm over Jack and shut his eyes again. As he drifted off, he was vaguely aware of Jack’s incredibly tense body slowly beginning to soften and relax for perhaps the first time in years.


	14. Ambush

An hour later, David was jolted out of his sleep and as he blinked the sleep from his eyes, he sat up to wonder what had woken him. Glancing down at Jack beside him on the bed, David hesitantly reached out to feather his fingertips along the scars upon the soldier’s exposed back. He condemned such cruelty and hoped that whoever was responsible for this was being charged with war crimes, for even during a war there were rules to abide by and clearly this hadn’t happened for Jack.  
  
  
He startled as he heard someone knocking on his front door, guessing that this was what had woken him in the first place. David carefully got out of bed so as not to wake Jack, then he wandered downstairs to see who it was. Opening the door, David’s eyes widened and he looked around to make sure nobody was watching and then he grasped the girl’s arm and quickly dragged her inside. He shut the door and spun around, looking her over.  
  
  
“Alexis, what are you doing here?” David asked her sharply, “how did you know I lived here?”  
  
  
Alexis giggled and smiled at him, throwing her arms around his neck and behaving like a massive flirt.  
  
  
“I just had to come and see you, Professor,” she cooed at him, stroking his tie, “I just can’t stop thinking about you and touching myself.. “  
  
  
She started kissing at his neck and he gently prised her away, stepping back and clearing his throat.  
  
  
“You’re underage!” David hissed at her.  
  
  
“Ugh, by like a week!” Alexis argued stubbornly, “when are you going to notice me?!”  
  
  
“Oh, I have noticed you,” David frowned at her, “the whole fucking street must have noticed you, what the hell are you wearing?”  
  
  
“Not much,” Alexis purred and sidled up to him again, “and nothing underneath.. “  
  
  
She ran her hands down over his chest and abs, thrilling when she touched his involuntary erection but pouting when he pushed her hands away.  
  
  
“Alexis,” David walked to the door and opened it, “go home before you get me into trouble.. and for God’s sakes put some bloody clothes on!”  
  
  
Alexis sighed and stamped her foot, leaving his house in a huff. David closed the door, locked it and leaned against it with a long, heavy sigh.  
  
  
“Damn.. “ he swore under his breath, wondering who might have seen her enter his house but confident that he hadn’t kept her in long enough for anything to have been suspected.  
  
  
Making his way uncomfortably back to his bed, David lay on his side facing Jack, who sensed the return of the body heat and instinctively pushed backwards into David. With Jack now pressing into him, David found it difficult to calm his arousal and he ran his fingertips up and down along Jack’s muscular arm. Once no protest came, he hesitantly leaned down and ran his tongue smoothly over the faded slashes on Jack’s shoulder blade.  
  
  
Jack’s eyes opened, David felt his body become slightly tense again and he knew instantly that Jack was awake.  
  
  
“What are you doing?” Jack asked softly.  
  
  
David kissed his shoulder and then his neck, returning to glide his tongue over some of the other faded scars on the soldier’s back. Jack closed his eyes and relaxed, just enjoying the soft caresses and unable to remember the last time someone had touched him so gently. Encouraged by the lack of actual protests, David continued tonguing and kissing the exposed back in front of him but respectfully and not inviting any further interaction from Jack. He didn’t want to push his luck, they both preferred women and that was an undeniable fact but there was something here between them. David sensed it but he had no idea if Jack felt the same way, he could only assume that he did or else they’d probably be brawling by now.  
  
  
Jack was silent, he’d learned a long time ago how to keep his vocals suppressed so the enemy wouldn’t ever have the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. He couldn’t help the odd grunt here and there when it had gotten really bad, but for the most part he’d just clenched his jaw and refused to utter a single sound. His affection for David grew along with the trust he’d developed over the course of the day, finding out that the man had saved his life was a key factor in Jack’s ability to stay calm just now. Part of him wanted to sock David’s jaw for all he was worth, possibly breaking it in the process but then there was the other part.  
  
  
The part that was simply enjoying a touch that wasn’t going to harm him, or lead anywhere if he didn’t wish for it to. Jack remained still and was quick to note David’s erection as it pressed into his shorts from behind, a few more soft, wet kisses to the back of his neck and Jack was becoming incredibly aroused now as well. If it weren’t for Jack’s growing bulge, David would have had no idea that he was having any effect upon the soldier at all, Jack’s exterior was easily as poker faced as any General David had ever met and that was quite a few in his lifetime.  
  
  
“Do you still want to go out tonight?” David asked Jack quietly, ceasing his intimate assault upon the soldier’s body. Jack opened his eyes and inclined his head, so David leaned down and accepted the invitation, kissing and grazing his teeth on the exposed throat without hesitation. As Jack’s eyes closed once more and a barely audible sigh escaped his parted lips, David could only take the response as a very firm and resounding ‘no’.  
  
  
Jack was quite content to remain there for as long as the soft touches were offered to him, it wasn’t the sensual seduction of a warm and wanting woman but that just meant there wasn’t any pressure to continue further interaction if he didn’t want it.


	15. On The Flip Side

David ran his hand down over Jack’s ribs, running his fingers over them lightly and causing the soldier’s body to shiver with goosebumps. Now teasing his tongue closer to Jack’s ear, David slowly eased his hand down across Jack’s muscular abs, drawing intricate patterns upon his warm body with his fingertips. Jack was breathing a little heavier by this time, still not uttering a sound but finding it increasingly difficult to remain silent.  
  
  
David’s hand trailed ever lower, until it hesitated just at the edge of Jack’s shorts. Now Jack’s eyes slowly opened and he half twisted around to look David in the eye, his fierce blue gaze made David pause for a moment but then it dropped to David’s mouth and softened somewhat. David took the cue and instantly leaned in, capturing Jack’s parted lips with his own to draw him into an awkward but sensual kiss. Jack hadn’t had a lot of experience with kissing, so he wasn’t exactly a pro at it but David easily made up for this, he was quite the expert at making out and hadn’t ever gotten a complaint.  
  
  
Jack quickly pulled away and David held back, waiting and watching the soldier’s body language for any other cues. Jack was not comfortable kissing with him, it didn’t feel right and he slowly eased himself back to lay down into the pillows. David leaned down and kissed at Jack’s chest, feeling his hand come to run through his hair. Jack liked the feel of the soft, wet kisses upon his body, his fingers easily made their way through David’s hair as he arched into the tender lips that dotted his chest and nipples with dampness and soft caresses of a firm yet sensually soft tongue. Jack was breathing through his mouth with a clenched jaw now, David could hear his excited, almost rapid inhales and exhales quite easily.  
  
  
Lowering his attention down to kiss and lick at Jack’s stomach, he felt it tense up as Jack finally let a soft sound escape from his throat. David stopped what he was doing immediately, instead moving to recline beside the soldier and let him calm down. Jack looked surprised that it had been so easy to get David to stop, sometimes he forgot that he had free will now and the right to say no. He’d been a long time in that prison camp, he had owned nothing in there, not even his body.  
  
  
“You stopped,” Jack spoke quietly, “why?”  
  
  
David looked at him and their eyes locked into a stare at one another.  
  
  
“Because you wanted me to,” David responded honestly, “as I told you before, Jack.. I’m not going to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”  
  
  
Jack narrowed his eyes a little, trying to understand but he’d been around so many people who just took what they wanted with no regard for anyone else, that it was difficult for him to comprehend this sort of passive behavior.  
  
  
“That’s what makes it uncomfortable,” Jack revealed, turning his gaze away slowly.  
  
  
David had to really think about that for a long moment, but he didn’t want to assume anything and so he decided to voice his thoughts.  
  
  
“Is it strange for you to have so much control?” David asked him, “do you prefer to have none at all?”  
  
  
“I suppose I do, in a sense,” Jack answered him solemnly, “it’s what I’ve become accustomed to.. I.. I don’t actually have all that much experience personally.. “  
  
  
David nodded a little, he’d figured as much. Jack turned away, not wanting to look at David but it was very dark by now and neither of them could see very much at all anymore.  
  
  
“In the camp,” Jack spoke so softly that David almost had to stop breathing in order to hear him properly, “even in the barracks, it got to some of us.. Being without women for so long. You had to be on your guard, even when you were asleep because you’d be dragged up out of your bed and forced to suck some bastard off in the middle of the night.. “  
  
  
David refrained from touching Jack as he admitted a very personal memory to him, such thoughts as those would bring up a lot of old hostile feelings and David wasn’t too keen on meeting Jack’s left hook anytime soon.  
  
  
“That must have been a nightmare,” David murmured softly.  
  
  
“It wasn’t so bad after a while,” Jack’s automatic defenses rose up again, “I got pretty good at it, actually.. “  
  
  
David pursed his lips, joking about such things was quite frowned upon in his own mind but Jack seemed to cope better with a sense of humor about everything, so he let it slide for now. It was definitely something to look into, if he was ever going to help Jack ease back into society as a somewhat normally functioning human being.  
  
  
“Did you enjoy being treated like that?” David wondered softly.  
  
  
“Of course not,” Jack replied stiffly, “nobody did, but that’s just how it was. Report that shit to an officer? Fuck, sometimes it was them who did it!”  
  
  
David shook his head, so much was wrong with the world already, this new information was just something else to worry about.  
  
  
“Did you ever do it, Jack?” David pressed him.  
  
  
Jack was silent for a long time, then he turned and faced David despite not being able to see more than his shadowy form sitting there in the dark.  
  
  
“I never did, no,” Jack answered him honestly.  
  
  
David leaned over him and grasped his upper arms firmly, the light of the moon now coming in through the window and illuminating the room a little. Jack instantly relaxed, gazing up at him as David firmly held him down, pinning his arms and then straddling him.  
  
  
“Do you like this?” David asked Jack, “being helpless?”  
  
  
Jack slowly smiled up at him.  
  
  
“You think I’m helpless?” Jack asked, looking quite amused.  
  
  
David had no time to react and quickly found himself pinned underneath Jack, as he’d moved fast to smoothly reverse their positions.  
  
  
“I am never, ever helpless.. “ Jack told him firmly, “unless I choose to be.”  
  
  
Which technically meant that he was not actually helpless, he would have been just acting that way for whatever reason, survival most likely but that wasn’t necessary here. Jack was simply making a point known to David, who thought that he understood Jack’s point now and very much wanted to get back up but there was also a feeling of excitement at being held down by the feisty soldier that David just couldn’t ignore and an involuntary groan managed to escape him before he could hold it back. Jack looked at him curiously, that amused smirk ever present upon his ruggedly handsome face.  
  
  
“Well, now.. “ Jack’s voice got deeper as he quirked a brow, “isn’t that interesting.. “


	16. No.. Yes, but no.. Yes..

“Whatever you’re thinking.. “ David breathed, highly aroused but trying to hide it, “you can forget it.”  
  
  
Jack inclined his head, trying to figure him out. He could feel David’s erection pressing hard into his own, it was a pleasant enough sensation and Jack was only too happy to remain exactly where he was for the time being. David groaned as Jack thrust his hips just once, his eyes firmly locked with the soldier’s gaze the whole time. Jack had mixed feelings just now and it confused him, this wasn’t something he normally would enjoy doing and yet it made him so dizzy with arousal that he was unable to contain his obvious excitement.  
  
  
He lowered his gaze down to David’s shirt, slowly letting go of his captive in order to begin unbuttoning it. David was hesitant to move, eager to get up but not keen to stop Jack just yet. Letting the shirt fall open, Jack gazed down at the lightly toned body underneath him appreciatively. It was nothing like the sensual, supple body of a woman but it strangely thrilled him anyway and he was wondering why, when suddenly David sat up. Jack was surprised, suddenly now pinned, wide eyed, down onto his back towards the end of the bed.  
  
  
“Damnit.. “ Jack grumbled, as David held his upper arms down firmly.  
  
  
David stared hard down into Jack’s now defiant gaze, a challenge sparking within them that David was not about to back down from. They both knew Jack could easily get up again, but dominance was less of a physical form of control between them, instead the situation was more swayed by the mind rather than the muscle. David let go of Jack, hesitating for a moment and then letting his shirt drop neatly to the floor when he shrugged it off. Jack watched him, fiercely glaring at the obvious show of who was boss as he resisted the temptation to overpower his sensual tormentor.  
  
  
Because of Jack’s strength advantage, it was a thrill indeed for David to be in control here but he certainly hadn’t forgotten that same thrill when Jack was pinning him down. The mind could be a powerful thing, so he kept a constant vigil on Jack’s comfort levels by reading his body language, Jack was generally honest enough but sometimes he hid his true feelings very well. Right now, for example, Jack was very heated and looking quite pissed off but there was a certain haze to his expression that suggested lustful intentions underlying the defiance. This haze was fleeting and almost invisible, but was confirmed when David felt Jack’s hands firmly grip onto his thighs and push them apart. This caused David’s lower half to come down, pressing their erections together once more.  
  
  
“You like that, do you?” David questioned him and Jack’s only response was a half smile, forming slowly as his eyes darkened with mischievous intent.  
  
  
It was difficult to read Jack, who often had an exterior that was very much the opposite to how he felt inside, especially when he was being confronted. David placed his hands upon Jack’s zipper, his eyes never leaving those of the suddenly intently watching and waiting soldier. Slowly, David’s fingers slid the zipper down carefully to expose the growing erection and made sure that Jack’s shorts were now somewhere on the floor. Jack swallowed nervously, so David gave him a moment to recompose himself before venturing any further. Completely naked and exposed, Jack was not in his comfort zone. He was quite used to that feeling, but this time there was a twist; he could stop it at any moment with one simple command.  
  
  
‘No’ was a powerful word here right now, it had never been effective in the past but David had shown Jack that it most certainly would from now on. Jack’s gaze finally dropped from David’s eyes, down to his pants; the last remaining stitch of clothing between them. Sitting up a little, he unbuckled David’s belt and slowly slid it out from the garment. Setting the leather strap beside himself on the bed, Jack then unzipped David’s pants and while he felt very tense doing this, David was patient and still. Only moving to finally rid himself of the pants, David sat back and allowed Jack to look upon his nude body in it’s entirety. It felt weird to Jack, he was almost repelled by the naked male form sitting before him and half inched back away from David. With confusion setting in to make him question everything all over again, Jack’s gaze lingered on David’s well endowed erection.  
  
  
The hesitation was making David curious, it seemed as though Jack was unsure of what he really wanted. Impatience was beginning to grip at David’s resolve to take it slow, he took some deep breaths in and exhaled slowly to calm his urges. Jack was not a virgin, but he may as well have been for the lack of experience he’d had, especially compared to David. Sex was clearly not happening tonight, but then David had expected as much, so he waited for Jack’s prompt as to how they were going to proceed. Jack soon calmed down and lay back into the pillows, turning onto his side. David lay down carefully behind him, pulling the sheet over their bodies and spooning Jack tightly.  
  
  
As his body relaxed, Jack’s eyes slowly blinked until they remained shut and he fell asleep. David was perfectly fine with having an early night, eventually waking in the morning to find himself chest to chest with Jack in an embrace that saw their arms as well as their legs wrapped around one another. As he gazed into Jack’s hard blue stare, it took David a moment to realize the closed eyes had opened at some point. Jack inclined his head very slightly, so David leaned in and their eyes closed as they began to kiss softly, deepening and intensifying the gesture as they became increasingly aroused.


	17. Lesson Plans

_“Mmm,”_ David moaned, feeling their bodies entwined and moving tightly against one another. Jack broke the kiss and attacked David’s neck with his lips, trying to subdue his ‘adversary’ and take control of the situation by shifting his weight and forcing David onto his back. A tactical move, but David had his own methods of getting back on top, he just needed to bide his time and let Jack think he’d won for now. There was nothing emotional about their behavior, love and lust were as different as night and day and love simply wasn’t part of the equation here. Getting rough was a given, but just how rough still remained to be seen.  
  
  
Inexperience would be Jack’s ultimate downfall, David had the upper hand advantage and with a swift flip of their positions, he soon had Jack pinned onto his front.  
  
  
“No!” Jack raised his voice and David paused, their breathing suddenly the only sound in the room.  
  
  
“No?” David ventured, ready to call it quits at a moment’s notice. Jack hesitated, falling silent now as David waited impatiently for his answer.  
  
  
“Jack?” David prompted him.  
  
  
“Not yet.. “ Jack bargained.  
  
  
David eased off and let him up, not fully understanding the hold up. He grasped a fistful of Jack’s hair and pulled it sharply, Jack flinched but made no sound. David pressed his mouth close to Jack’s ear, sending a shiver down the soldier’s body.  
  
  
“I want to ram my cock so hard into your arse, Jack.. “ David rasped sexily into his ear, _“ohh,_ you’re going to take such a pounding.. “  
  
  
Jack closed his eyes and swallowed dryly, his erect member twitching at David’s words and his breathing becoming slightly ragged. At this favorable response, David ran his tongue from just under Jack’s ear, all the way down to his collarbone. Jack continued to bite back and hold in his groans, his breathy panting the only audible indication of excitement he offered.  
  
  
“Th-This isn’t right!” Jack whispered.  
  
  
“Oh?” David kissed his neck and Jack closed his eyes, “according to whom?”  
  
  
Jack faltered, his eyes opened but he couldn’t find the answer. Instead, he turned slightly and gazed down at David’s erection, reaching out and petting it tentatively. David’s rumbling growl deep in his throat sent a thrill coursing through Jack’s body, as those soft lips attacked his ear and neck relentlessly. David trailed his hand down Jack’s front and patiently began to return the gesture, stroking and petting Jack’s hardened member.  
  
  
“David..?“ Jack breathed heavily, trying desperately to maintain his composure but failing somewhat. David leaned back into the pillows and applied pressure to Jack’s shoulders, Jack obediently lowered himself down and took David’s straining cock into his mouth. David’s eyes fluttered as Jack began to lick and suck, admittedly he really was quite good at it, just as he’d once jokingly boasted before.  
  
  
Once Jack got settled into an even pace, David sat up, reached down and began to massage and squeeze Jack’s ass, gently probing his fingers around his tight entrance and encouraging his muscles to relax with circular rubbing motions of his palms. Jack closed his eyes and focused on sucking David’s erect member, bringing up one hand to pump the base of the bulging shaft and the other hand to fondle and tease at David’s soft balls. David threw back his head and arched his back, unable to contain a loud, pleading groan that suddenly escaped his now parted lips. He felt Jack’s lips smile around his throbbing erection, his eyes rolling in pleasure despite the cheek Jack was showing him.  
  
  
David wondered briefly if Jack had ever taken it in the ass before, but he hadn’t mentioned it so David had to assume that Jack’s ass was virgin and thus he would need to be extra careful with it. He sighed heavily, moaning in pleasure but he’d have to get up soon and grab some lubrication, nothing was going to happen anywhere near Jack’s ass without it.  
  
  
_“Uhh.._ Damnit Jack.. Stop.. “ David groaned. Jack did stop, but started to then plant soft kisses on David’s sensitive stomach and he groaned again.  
  
  
“Something wrong, boss?” Jack teased him, smirking up at the heavy lidded eyes gazing back down at him. David was propped up on his elbows, watching Jack by now.  
  
  
“I don’t want to cum yet.. “ David replied quietly, pushing at Jack’s forehead and forcing him back.  
  
  
“Why not?” Jack wondered, “isn’t that the aim of the game?”  
  
  
“You think we’re playing a game?” David asked him back, staring at him curiously.  
  
  
Jack was silent once more, David leaned over and took out some lubrication, amused by Jack’s puzzled expression and thus convinced of his innocence in this area. He was going to have to pay attention, if Jack decided he didn’t want to go through with it at any point, David needed to be able to recognize the distress signals and stop immediately. At no time did he want Jack to feel pressured or obligated to just continue if he didn’t want to, this would ruin everything between them and while he had no amorous feelings towards the soldier, the respect he held for Jack’s profession would never dissipate. First things first, Jack needed to relax.  
  
  
David set down the bottle of lube onto the bed, then he placed his hands upon Jack’s shoulders and encouraged him to lay back. Resisting at first, Jack eventually lay back and grasped fistfuls of David’s hair as he felt that soft, warm mouth envelope his cock and begin to expertly suck. David’s eyes closed as Jack gripped his hair tighter, sensing the excitement coming from the soldier as his hips began to thrust slowly. Jack’s eyes rolled shut, this was so wrong.. He pursed his lips, but as David carefully teased and massaged the highly sensitive skin just close to his ass entrance, Jack couldn’t hold back an involuntary groan from escaping his throat. David used his free hand to open the bottle, using some of the lubrication on both of his hands and he then began to probe his fingers more purposefully into Jack’s entrance.  
  
  
Now that he was relaxing and David’s fingers were slickened, one digit managed to slip in. Jack cried out in surprise, his eyes flew open in shock and David held perfectly still, the finger still nestled comfortably just inside of Jack. It was anything but comfortable for the inexperienced soldier and he panicked, David felt the tightening sensation around his finger and slipped it slowly out again, moving his body upwards to begin kissing and suckling at Jack’s chest and nipples. Jack was starting to come undone, this had never been explored upon him before he’d met David and he found that he very much enjoyed the sensation, especially on his nipples.  
  
  
David felt Jack’s body relaxing and so he probed again at the unyielding entrance, carefully slipping his finger inside once more. Jack hummed this time and David moved back down again to take Jack’s cock into his mouth. He began to move the finger in and out just a little, getting Jack used to the new feeling of it all. Precum suddenly spurted into David’s mouth, an indication that Jack was somewhat enjoying it now but one finger was nothing compared to what he had in mind..


	18. The Art Of Seduction

Tentatively probing a second finger inside, David continued the in and out motion to ensure further relaxation. Jack uttered a soft grunt at the insertion of the second digit, it was uncomfortable and felt unnatural but the gentle fucking motion of David’s lubricated fingers gave him a sense of wanting more. So many contradicting feelings of lust and anger, Jack felt both excited and ashamed all at once. David was doing his head in, it was too much and so quickly, yet he couldn’t pull away. He didn’t want to..    
  
  
_“Ahuh.. Fuck!”_ Jack hissed, as a third finger made it’s way into him, how was that even possible?!    
  
  
“Alright?” David asked softly, kissing the tip of Jack’s erect member and tonguing the underside of the throbbing shaft languidly.  
  
  
_“Uhuh.. “_ Jack nodded quickly, his breathing faster now.  
  
  
David hummed and pushed him down onto his front, this time Jack didn’t fight it and blushed as David moved over him. Lifting his rear slightly, Jack panted nervously and David frowned as the tight canal squeezed around his fingers, he could barely move them now.  
  
  
“Jack,” David spoke quietly, but very firmly, “take deeper breaths.”  
  
  
Jack slowed down his breathing, the tightness now relaxing around David’s fingers.  
  
  
“That’s it, baby.. “ David murmured, pressing the head of his cock right at Jack’s entrance, “slowly in and out.. “ Using his fingers to assist his erection into the unexplored area, David used a generous amount of lubrication as he guided himself right up into Jack.  
  
  
_“Ungh!”_ Jack uttered another soft grunt, trying hard to keep his breathing steady and deep, “I-I’m not your.. _huhh_.. fucking.. _ohh.. baby.. uhh.. “_    
  
  
David’s smile was self satisfactory, getting sounds to finally emerge, loud and unbridled from the tight lipped soldier was most rewarding indeed. He grasped Jack’s waist now and thrust deeper inside, Jack shut his eyes and clenched his jaw, holding the pillows tightly to his chest. He was so hard that he felt the sensation of release building up inside of him, overwhelming his senses and almost blocking out the light burning feeling in his ass. David was quick to asses Jack’s situation and slid down one hand to firmly squeeze at the base of Jack’s pulsing member, so that as Jack moaned and lowered his head, the build up suddenly halted and no climax was reached. Jack’s eyes flew open and he gasped, unsure of what had just happened but knowing that he should have just came.  
  
  
“Shhh… “ David hushed him, sensing his anxiety and softly kissing the tense soldier’s back, “deep breaths and relax.. “  
  
   
Jack felt lulled by his deep voice and commanding tone, his body slowly relaxing as he took in longer breaths. David pushed deeper in, pleased with himself for asserting his authority over the constantly challenging soldier.  
  
  
“No.. No, fuck off!” Jack suddenly grew very tense and David cursed as his cock was squeezed hard.  
  
  
“Jack!” David growled painfully, “damnit, Jack! Relax!”    
  
  
Jack bit his bottom lip and slowly managed to take some deeper breaths, closing his eyes.  
  
  
“Sorry.. I-I panicked.. “ Jack apologized softly, “don’t stop.. “  
  
  
David started to rub the anxious soldier’s back, still keeping one hand firmly upon Jack’s hip so that he could begin thrusting once he was at least halfway inside.  
  
  
“Do you want it, Jack?” David asked him, needing to hear the stubborn soldier beg for it. Jack was silent and David grasped his hair, pulling his head back roughly and Jack spat out a curse word angrily.  
  
  
“I asked you a question,” David said softly.  
  
  
“Alright!” Jack growled, “I want it.. “  
  
  
David let go of his hair and Jack looked angrily down at the sheets, humiliation burning in his face now.  
  
  
_“Hmm,”_ David hummed, thrusting harder into Jack and enjoying his almost feminine yelp, “I do hope you’re not turning ‘queer’ Jack.. “  
  
  
“Not on your life.. “ Jack grumbled defensively.  
  
  
“So how badly do you want it then?” David pressed him.  
  
  
“Fucking _Hell_.. “ Jack growled, suddenly impatient because David hadn’t started fucking him yet.  
  
  
“I didn’t quite catch that.. “ David prompted him to submit.  
  
  
Jack sighed heavily, the strange feeling of having a huge cock rammed up inside of his ass was very disconcerting and he wondered if it’d feel any better if it were moving the way David’s fingers had been earlier? As he was met with silence, David pushed deeper still into Jack, causing the soldier to start panting through clenched jaws again.  
  
  
“I could walk away, _darling_.. “ David snaked his arm to curl around Jack’s throat, forcing his head up but not choking him, “how badly do you want it?”    
  
  
Jack’s face was aflame with embarrassment, his fierce, blue stare fixated upon the wall now. He was about to tell David that he could take a hike, when suddenly those soft fingertips began to stroke and caress his twitching erection.  
  
  
“Hands on the bed frame.. “ David rasped into Jack’s ear, watching intently as Jack moved uncomfortably to grab hold of the headboard tightly. David then hesitated, kissing Jack’s shoulders and squeezing the head of the soldier’s engorged member into his palm to elicit an unstifled groan.  
  
  
“Alright, you win.. “ Jack lowered his gaze but due to David’s arm, was unable to lower his head, _“Christ!_ I want it, alright? Just.. Just _do it_.. “    
  
  
David tongued Jack’s shoulder and bit at his neck, Jack uttered a pleading sound and closed his eyes submissively, troubled with how apparently easily David had seduced him.  
  
  
“I didn’t hear the magic words.. “ David pushed him, breathing hotly into Jack’s ear and reveling in the shiver that thrilled and coursed its way through Jack’s body in response.  
  
  
“I’m _not_ going to _beg_ you.. “ Jack insisted fiercely, baring his teeth, _“ah!”_  
  
  
David thrust deeper still, he had plenty of inches to make Jack really suffer for his insubordinance.  
  
  
“This can be really easy.. “ David murmured, almost growling in his most guttural tone, “why make it harder on yourself? Perhaps you _do_ enjoy it.. “    
  
  
Jack’s face flushed hard but as he was turned away from David, the unshed tears glistening in his defiant stare went unnoticed.  
  
  
_“Damn you.. “_ Jack condemned him, tensing up as David’s arm tightened against his throat.  
  
  
“What was that?” David asked him. Jack’s eyes rolled closed, silently admitting defeat.  
  
  
_“Please.. “_ Jack pleaded softly.  
  
  
_“Mmm.._ Please what?” David urged him. Jack felt fired up and humiliated, but David honestly needed to know if he meant to please stop or to continue on. Of course, David wasn’t about to let Jack know this, he did have an image to maintain after all..  Jack tried to hold in the deep whine that slipped out, as David began to really pump his erection and love bite his neck, frustration making him ache where the two of them were now joined as one.  
  
  
_“Pl- Please.. “_ Jack was coming undone quickly now, “I want it _bad_.. Don’t hold back.. I can take it.. “    
  
  
David began to move immediately, not removing his arm and keeping Jack in place firmly. Jack groaned and squeezed his eyes shut tightly, a single tear running down his cheek as he sighed and moaned deeply. The bed was soon banging against the wall noisily, their combined cries of pleasure just as loud until Jack suddenly came into David’s palm and breathed hard, riding out his climax as David continued to firmly stroke and squeeze at his spurting member.  
  
  
_“Yess.. “_ David hissed, accepting the complete surrender, still thrusting hard into Jack while he lowered himself down onto the bed. Jack was still being held to restrict his movements, David’s arm pressing against his throat firmly to ensure that Jack got no ideas of taking control again. Jack wanted to bury his face into the pillows, but he couldn’t. David was lost in the throes of ecstasy, the thrill of victory close at hand as he felt Jack’s body growing ever more relaxed, a sure sign of submission and obedience if ever he saw one. He was still groaning loudly, but Jack’s voice no longer mingled with his own and there was a raspy, heavy breathing sound in it’s place. Determined to ensure his final act of dominance over Jack, David inched deeper into the unawares soldier with each thrust as his own release began to close in on him. If he really wanted to, he could ram Jack for hours, perhaps even all night but if he ever wanted Jack to be permissible again in the future, he had to introduce his almost inhuman stamina gradually.  
  
  
_“Babyyy!”_ David’s voice got louder and more desperate, on the verge of climax with shaking legs now. He wanted to tell Jack to say his name, he needed to hear it fall from those parted lips, that panting mouth but he was too deeply consumed by the build up and imminent release, all he could do was groan half formed words. As soft curls brushed against his sensitive flesh, Jack was having trouble breathing due to David now being all of the way inside of him. David managed to form half a thought, shifted his position and thrust hard a couple of times, driving in to hit Jack’s prostate nice and firmly. Jack was surprised, his head spun dizzily as he cried out David’s name repeatedly, pleading with him and begging him.  
  
  
David finally succumbed to the soldier’s pleas, grinding hard against him as he came almost violently. Jack felt stunned and his vision turned white, creaming onto the sheets as he was brought into a powerful second release. Jack collapsed down and David rested on top of him, keeping himself nestled inside of the tight canal while letting go of Jack. Burying his face at last, Jack was able to pretend that he could not be seen right now.  
  
  
“A most befitting victory for a General’s son,” David breathed heavily, still coming down, his cock twitching and pulsing pleasureably. Jack turned his head to one side and allowed himself a small grin, puzzling David for a moment.  
  
  
“Who says the victory was _yours?_ ” Jack asked him dubiously. David faltered, suddenly unsure of just who had seduced who here..


	19. Smoke And Mirrors

Breathless but slowly coming down, Jack and David sat on the bed for a while and David eyed Jack curiously.   
  
  
“I won,” David informed him.  
  
  
“No you didn’t,” Jack responded sharply, “I did.”   
  
  
David recognized the stubbornness of a soldier in Jack right away and he knew that it was going to take a bit more convincing to set him straight.   
  
  
“Admit it, Jack,” David lifted his chin, “you surrendered to me.”   
  
  
“I did no such thing,” Jack growled, keeping his head up and his gaze locked with David’s, “I lured you in and you took the bait, hook, line and sinker.”   
  
  
David moved towards Jack, grasping his upper arms but Jack resisted and soon had David pinned onto his back. Straddling the surprised Professor Jones, Jack tried to lean in and kiss David’s neck but David kept tossing his head. Jack made his way down close to David’s chest and started licking his right nipple, pinching the other one until David was moaning loudly. David refused to let him believe he’d won, he grabbed Jack’s hips and ground their semi erect members hard against one another. Jack groaned and lost his focus, giving David his chance to reverse their positions and Jack was now pinned down onto the bed, staring furiously up at him. David looked back at Jack with amusement but also with a firmness that told the soldier to stand down at once. Jack’s eyes flashed with a not-so-subtle fury, he was going to be quite the challenge but then, David always did enjoy such a thing. Jack gave the impression that he wouldn’t surrender if David was holding a gun to the side of his head, threatening to blow out his brains. Jack surged up suddenly and pulled David’s arms up behind his back, forcing him down onto the bed on his front.   
  
  
“Now,” Jack spoke quietly and firmly, “what were you saying?”   
  
  
David felt the painful pulling on his arms and grunted uncomfortably, chest down on the bed with his rear lifted and he could feel Jack’s erection resting against his ass and scrotum. It was probably lucky for David that Jack wasn’t quite sure exactly what to do with him in this position, he had an idea but hadn’t ever done it before, so he wasn’t keen to have a go just yet. David was essentially a dom, he couldn’t stand being topped in bed or anywhere else - unless he chose it and even then it was extremely rare that he actually followed through with it obediently.   
  
  
However, David was not a General’s son merely by inheritance of his father’s name and he used one leg to suddenly kick Jack in the stomach. That didn’t phase Jack a great deal, but it did make him loosen his grip and David was able to twist free and once again pin Jack down. David straddled Jack, one forearm across the soldier’s throat and pressing down firmly to keep him subdued. Jack grunted uncomfortably now and tried to prise David’s arm away, that’s when the grinding started up again and Jack was unable to concentrate for much longer.   
  
  
“Come on Jack!” David rasped, “I know you can’t take this!”    
  
  
“I can take anything you’ve got!” Jack responded bitterly, but his resolve was weakening fast as David’s rock hard erection rubbed against his own. It felt incredible and his eyes rolled, Jack refused to let them close and bit down hard to stop any groans that tried to escape his throat. David moaned as Jack involuntarily began to thrust in time with him, for the pleasure went both ways and he realized it could actually backfire on him if he wasn’t careful.   
  
  
“Oh really?” David lowered his head and closed his eyes, moaning louder.   
  
  
Jack hummed deeply, unable to keep his vocals suppressed for too much longer. David struggled to think in such conditions, what could he use as a form of dominance over Jack that would ultimately force the soldier to finally wave that unused white flag of his? An idea sparked in his mind and he reached over to grab his bottle of lubrication once more. Jack was curious and simply stared as David coated Jack’s cock with the slippery stuff and Jack even slowly stroked himself while David used some on his own ass. David then climbed over Jack, who continued to hold his cock and seemed to know what was going on. So why didn’t he fight it?    
  
  
Jack had seen this happen before, not too many times mind, but he’d seen it enough to know what was expected from him. David lowered himself down and Jack assisted him in guiding his cock into David’s entrance, but in this position it was David who had all of the control. Jack gasped and David hissed, inching deeper and lower until David was impaled completely. Jack couldn’t hold back a deep groan as David began to move slowly up and down over his long, thick shaft and David pushed down onto Jack’s shoulders firmly with several loud moans in response. Jack averted his gaze.  
  
  
“No!” David shouted and Jack’s eyes were instantly locked with his own once more, “you do not! Look! Away!”   
  
  
Jack swallowed hard, his eyes suddenly a little wider and he seemed a lot less sure of himself. It was getting to become too much, Jack’s eyes kept rolling and blinking as if they wanted to close but he could not look away from David’s piercing stare.   
  
  
_“Damn you!”_ Jack cursed him through his clenched jaw, “I can’t.. I.. _Fuck!”_    
  
  
His eyes finally rolled closed and shut tight, his back arched and he threw back his head. David moved faster and harder, sliding one hand under the pillow and pulling something out. Lathering it with lube, he switched on the vibrator and teased it at Jack’s entrance, still balancing himself with one hand upon Jack’s chest now.   
  
  
“No! No! _Oh fuck_ , no!” Jack protested as David suddenly began fucking him with the vibrator, _“aahh! Uhhuhh_.. Y-You.. _Ohh_ , you fucking.. _Mmm_.. Basard!”    
  
  
David was relentless and soon Jack was trembling with the effort to stay in control of his body.   
  
  
“Say it!” David commanded him, “I need to hear you _say it_ , soldier!”    
  
  
“Never!” Jack breathed heavily, groaning and writhing in pleasure, “ _ohh_ , but I can’t.. can’t take.. _can’t take it_.. “   
  
  
“Then _surrender_ to me,” David rasped to him quietly, their eyes now locked together in a standoff as they each were desperate now to cum, “lay down your arms, Major!”    
  
  
Jack’s breath shuddered, his legs shook and everything sort of spun around dizzily and went dark as his eyes rolled shut. His surrender tumbled from his lips as he finally spoke the two words David needed to hear, it shot from his rigid, throbbing erection and it was responded to with steady streams of hot, sticky semen from David, who grunted his own release and spurted his dominance over the climaxing soldier’s chest and stomach.   
  
  
Some minutes later, Jack was exhausted and asleep. David slowly climbed off of him and sat on the edge of the bed, looking back at Jack silently. What sort of effect it’d have on the soldier he couldn’t be too sure, not until Jack woke up again but if there was one thing he knew about breaking in a stubborn spirit, he knew that it first needed to be worn down. The war had done most of that for him, otherwise he was fairly certain that Jack would never have ever surrendered to him for a long, long time. Or to anyone else, for that matter. He genuinely did want to help Jack, but he needed the soldier’s complete adherence.   
  
  
Of course, breaking in and taming such a wild stallion of a spirit was very satisfying and instilled a kind of smug feeling within him. He stood up and took a shower, got dressed and went to the kitchen for coffee. Jack slept for a couple of hours, giving David a chance to go over Monday’s lesson plans and also to worry about where Jack might go in his absence.


	20. Still Running

As he slept, Jack furrowed his brow, dreaming fitfully of a memory he’d once thought drowned and forgotten.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
Jack and his unit were doing what they did best, clearing out and driving back the Japanese forces so their allies could push in and establish strongholds. Jack’s unit came highly recommended for such tasks, they were more than efficient and set the enemy back a long way each time they struck out. They were becoming noticed more and more, a target was eventually placed upon them and thus doomed them to their eventual fall into the hands of the enemy soldiers. Jack was kneeling beside a Corporal, a young boy who insisted he was twenty one but couldn’t have been any older than seventeen.  
  
  
His name was Stuart and he always followed Jack around, for he idolized the Major and wanted to be just like him someday. Jack didn’t even want to be like himself, so he never could understand why the lad would want to take after him. They were holed up behind some ruins, a half broken wall stood between them and enemy fire. They would get up, return fire and duck back down again to reload.  
  
  
“This is _insane!”_ Stuart grinned, “they haven’t a _clue_ , have they Strafer?”  
  
  
Strafer was Jack’s nickname, it meant ‘Soldier’s soldier’ and that suited Jack’s personality to a fault.  
  
  
“Not a fucking hint of a clue!” Jack shouted back over the gunfire, “keep your head down!”  
  
  
The plan was simple: Jack and Stuart would draw the enemy’s fire, while the others surrounded and eventually captured them unawares. Stuart laughed crazily, he always was a bit too eager and when Jack next glanced at him, he smiled a little at the boy.  
  
  
“Had enough already, Stu?” Jack shouted. Stuart was resting his forehead on the wall, it took Jack a moment to figure he wasn’t moving anymore.  
  
  
“Stu?” Jack frowned, “Stuart!”    
  
  
Just then, Conti dropped down in beside Jack, shoving the boy’s body aside.  
  
  
“He’s _dead_ , Jack!” Conti said hurriedly, “everyone’s in place, come on, let’s get out of here!”  
  
  
“What? We can’t just leave him!” Jack shouted, as Conti grabbed him by the arm and hauled him away while the firing had ceased.  
  
  
“He’s dead!” Conti insisted, “I saw him get hit on the way over, direct shot, right between the eyes.”  
  
  
Jack pulled against Conti, who had a much too tight grip upon him and so Jack was forced to continue on without Stuart.  
  
  
“We’ll recover his body tonight,” Conti promised, _“come on!”_  
  
  
Jack glanced over his shoulder one last time at the youth, stumbling as Conti dragged him to a safer location and out of the enemy’s line of sight.  
  
  
*  
  
  
Jack woke up with a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek, or was it a tear? He slowly sat up and yawned, rubbing his face with both palms and trying to push aside the vivid memory-dream as he got up and took a shower. Leaning his hot body against the cool, marble tiles, Jack sighed and bowed his head in regret.  
  
  
“We should’ve checked,” he muttered, water streaming over his lips as they moved and getting into his mouth, “I’m so sorry, Stuart.. “  
  
  
Closing his eyes, Jack trembled as he again thought of what happened that fateful day.  
  
  
*  
  
  
He and the others had gone back to recover Stuart’s body, the Japanese had no use for such things and generally left them alone, though they often stripped away any valuables and other things they might have deemed worthy of pilfering. When the group arrived however, Stuart was nowhere to be seen and an ice cold dread gripped at each soldier’s heart.  
  
  
“No, no _no!”_ Jack looked around, frantically moving from one place to the next, _“fuck!”_  
  
  
“Calm down, Jack!” Conti tried.  
  
  
“He was still _alive!”_ Jack raised his voice, “we should have made sure!”  
  
  
Conti signalled for the others to scout, the area had been cleared but obviously something had happened to Stuart’s body, which suggested others had passed through here after the fighting had ended.  
  
  
“If the Japanese found him alive,” Jack growled.  
  
  
“I know,” Conti nodded, “I’m sorry, Jack. I should have listened to you.. “  
  
  
Conti, or Lieutenant Colonel John Lawrence, was a British officer who had once lived in Japan and spoke Japanese fluently.   
  
  
“Sirs!” the group came hurrying back, “sirs, we’ve found him!”    
  
  
Jack and Conti looked around at the Captain, who was out of breath, wide eyed and pale.  
  
  
“Where?!” Jack demanded fiercely, “why didn’t you bring him back with you?!”    
  
  
“Because sir,” the Captain replied worriedly, “it looks like a trap.. “    
  
  
*  
  
  
In the shower, Jack’s eyes snapped open and he turned off the water. He used a towel to dry himself off, then he wandered back to the bedroom and found himself something cooler to wear because it was warming up to be a very hot day indeed by now. Despite the heat, Jack’s body was shaking and he could only put it down to the eerie memories that had crept up on him today. He made a mental note to head off tonight and get so drunk that he couldn’t stand up, that’d get rid of them for a while, or so he hoped. It seemed to have worked so far, although he could not explain how they had managed to resurface after all this time, something had triggered it and Jack was pretty sure he knew what it was. He stared and gazed at the floor, images flashing before his mind’s eye as he was forced yet again to watch the events unfold without warning.    
  
  
*  
  
  
“Take us to him!” Conti urged the Captain, “hurry!”    
  
  
Jack was reluctant to go, he knew how sneaky the Japanese could be and he voiced this as they ran after the group but Conti was feeling guilty and if he could save Stuart, then he was going to. They reached a clearing in the trees and came to an abrupt halt, Stuart was kneeling in the middle of the clearing, his hands bound behind his back and his eyes blindfolded. He was sobbing, bleeding from his head where a bullet was still lodged right between his eyes and the clear indication of a cracked skull was obvious from where they stood, just inside the line of trees.  
  
  
“It’s definitely a trap,” Jack spoke softly under his breath, “we need to-.. “    
  
  
Conti rushed in, shouting for the others to help him. Jack swore loudly as they all rushed after him, eventually getting up and urging them to fall back. But it was too late, they were surrounded and forced to lay down their arms and surrender. Stuart was shot on sight and Jack blinked back to reality, jolting as the gunshot had sounded so loud and so vividly real that it had snapped him out of it.  
  
  
*  
  
  
“Alright?” David’s voice asked gently from the doorway. Jack lowered his head, running his fingers through his damp hair shakily.  
  
  
“Oh.. Yeah,” Jack smiled a little, though his trembling voice gave him away, “just er.. bad dream.. “  
  
  
“Oh?” David looked concerned, “what kind of dream?”    
  
  
“Nothing,” Jack responded quickly, “I don’t remember.. “  
  
  
David knew he was lying, but he decided not to push it.  
  
  
“What are you up for this evening, Jack?” David tried to take his mind off whatever was bothering him.  
  
  
“Oh, I dunno,” Jack turned around but avoided his eyes, “seedy bar, couple of drunk girls.. “    
  
  
David lifted a brow and Jack’s eyes finally lifted, they were full of pain and regret, softening David’s own hard stare.  
  
  
“Alright,” David relented at last, “but let’s keep it at least upper middle class rather than ‘seedy’.”    
  
  
Jack shrugged.  
  
  
“Whatever you say, Prof,” he walked past David, “you’re the boss.”  
  
  



	21. Girls And Boys

David wasn’t sure what to make of Jack’s comment about him being the boss, or his flippant behavior just now. Jack wasn’t always so easy to read, David would just have to wait and see if he’d made any progress at all and they were soon sitting at a nice bar and grill, looking around while they waited for the orders to arrive.   
  
  
“How do you feel, Jack?” David wondered, picking up his glass and drinking a mouthful of complimentary water.  
  
  
“Lucky,” Jack answered distractedly and David followed his gaze to a table, where several women were chatting and sometimes glancing their way with flirty smiles directed at the blond soldier.  
  
  
“I see,” David smirked and set down his glass, “which one do you fancy?”  
  
  
“I’m not fussy,” Jack licked his suddenly dry lips.  
  
  
“You should be,” David spoke disapprovingly, “you have a lot to offer, Jack. You shouldn’t sell yourself short.”  
  
  
But Jack wasn’t listening, he had poor self image and if a girl was going to let him have her, he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to do so. Not long after they had eaten and finished their drinks, the two men went to sit at the bar and that’s when two of the women detached themselves from the group seated at the table and approached the bar with intent expressions upon their faces. David lifted his chin immediately and met their flirty smiles with a receiving grin of his own, encouraging them to know that he was interested and currently available. Jack kept his gaze firm and hard, he was shy and quiet while David welcomed the two women and offered to buy them a drink. One of the women, who had introduced herself as Candy, laughed at David’s comment about having a sweet tooth and instantly took a liking to him, which left the other woman, Ayla, sitting and just avoiding looking at the two as they seemed to really hit it off.  
  
  
“You’re a soldier, aren’t you?” Ayla asked Jack.  
  
  
“Yes,” Jack gave her a short nod.  
  
  
“I could tell,” Ayla smiled softly, “because of the dog tags.. plus I have seen you before, with your buddies.. I always wanted to say hello but I’m.. I’m a little shy.”  
  
  
Jack could empathize with that, he wasn’t exactly very outgoing himself.  
  
  
“I understand,” Jack replied, “I really do.”  
  
  
Ayla smiled at him again.  
  
  
“Candy dragged me over here to talk to you guys,” she admitted, “I’m afraid that I speak about you quite often, despite having never actually met you.”    
  
  
Jack suddenly felt his face grow very hot and Ayla struggled to keep it together, thrilled and excited about finally meeting him and finding him incredibly adorable for a soldier.  
  
  
“This wasn’t exactly my first choice of venues,” Jack sympathized, “David has his standards, though.”  
  
  
Ayla nodded.  
  
  
“Looks like we are both out of our comfort zones tonight then,” she pointed out.  
  
  
“Yes,” Jack avoided her gaze for a moment, “how do you suppose we can fix that?”  
  
  
Just then, David leaned over with his arm around Candy’s middle.  
  
  
“I’ve got a key to a room upstairs,” he told them, “you two in or what?”    
  
  
Ayla looked at Jack, her eyes sparkled as she questioned him silently and she looked so hopeful that he couldn’t say no.  
  
  
“Yeah,” Jack stood up and Ayla grabbed his hand, making him feel awkward and he blushed again.  
  
  
“Great!” David beamed, “come on, this way.”  
  
  
They all went upstairs, Candy was already sucking on David’s neck before he even unlocked the door and Ayla was trying not to feel embarrassed for her over-eager friend.  
  
  
Inside the room, Candy and David stumbled over to the large, four poster bed on the left over by the window. There were two such beds, the room was just one single space but simply and beautifully decorated. The two beds were adjacent to each other and there would be no privacy between them, so the less outgoing couple were hesitant to begin whereas David and Candy were already half stripped by the time they fell onto the bed together. David was no stranger to getting with someone amidst others doing the same, though generally he liked to visit places where health screens were mandatory before you were allowed to set foot in the door. In those places, you could arrive alone or with someone, get with another, be joined by still others and leave either alone or possibly with someone completely different than the person you may have started with. Candy was not a serious thing to David, he liked her and she wanted to fuck, there wasn’t anything more to it than that. Jack, on the other hand, was mortified about the entire situation and Ayla gave his arm a gentle squeeze in an attempt to try and comfort the flustered soldier.  
  
  
“If it makes you feel any better,” Ayla said quietly, “I’m just as scared as you are.”  
  
  
Jack’s defenses rose up immediately.  
  
  
“Scared?” he responded curiously, “I’m not scared of anything, love. C’mere.. “  
  
  
He shifted closer to her and kissed the corner of her mouth softly, Ayla slowly put her arms around him and lay back into the pillows, forcing him down with her until he was laying on top of her as they began to make out. Jack could hear David talking sternly to Candy, his eyes closing as he heard several slaps and Candy’s cries of ecstasy and pleasure pain. No doubt her ass was getting tended to just now and Jack stopped kissing Ayla to glance over his shoulder at the other two. Ayla sat up a little to watch as well, becoming highly aroused at the sight and wanting Jack to overcome his shyness and have his way with her. David rubbed Candy’s ass and then spanked her hard once more, glancing over and winking with a smug grin at Jack. Ayla blushed as Jack turned away from the scene and their noses touched, as Ayla had been too intent on watching the other two to notice that Jack had lost interest suddenly.  
  
  
“Jack,” Ayla met his eyes with hers, her tone dropping to a husky and pleading sound.  
  
  
“Yes?” Jack whispered, sensing her urgency and feeling his own begin to build.  
  
  
“Take charge,” Ayla breathed, inclining her head to allow him access to her neck.  
  
  
“Yes.. “ Jack murmured, lowering his head and kissing her neck obligingly.  
  
  
_“Ohh!”_ Ayla moaned instantly, “lay the battlefield!”    
  
  
Jack groaned and they began to strip one another of their clothing, groping and fondling each other blindly as they kissed passionately. Ayla withdrew and gazed heatedly into Jack’s smoldering blue eyes.  
  
  
“Mount and _invade_ ,” she ordered him firmly, “make me _surrender_.. “  
  
  
Jack uttered a helpless whine and yet his eyes flashed with an almost furious determination.  
  
  
_“Ohh_.. Yes!” he groaned loudly, making Ayla moan as he cocked her leg around his waist and stared directly into her gaze as he began to enter her right away.  
  
  
As with David, there probably wasn’t anything more here other than lust and wanting but that remained to be seen as their groans and shouts mingled with those of the other two and Ayla could not help but notice that Jack kept glancing back over at David and Candy. She wondered briefly if Jack liked to watch, but then he didn’t really seem the type. Jack was definitely a little rougher with each glance and Ayla figured that it was probably closer to jealousy than voyeurism. But was he keen on Candy or David?


	22. Surprise Attack

_“Ohh!”_ Ayla moaned and arched her back, feeling him throb inside of her, “Jack! I.. I’m going to..!!” She squealed into climax, wrapping her legs tightly around him and bucking her hips.    
  
  
_“Huhh.. Uhuh.. “_ Jack lowered his head, his eyes rolling as she clamped around his engorged shaft, _“yess!“_  
  
  
It took Ayla a couple of minutes to finally come down and realize Jack hadn’t finished yet, his soft moans continued to excite her but it was his stolen glances and fiery glares across the room that started to get her attention more and more.  
  
  
“Jack.. “ Ayla said softly, “what’s wrong?”    
  
  
Jack hummed and groaned, it felt so good to be inside of a woman and it made him helpless to pull away until he was spent, squeezing and kneading her breasts, kissing and sucking her neck and shoulders..  
  
  
_“Nuh-ohh_.. Nothing,” Jack moaned in response, thrusting a little harder and nuzzling her throat tenderly. Ayla enjoyed how gentle he was, easily building up and keen to experience her second orgasm. Jack wasn’t sure what to do and just tried to copy what he caught glimpses of David doing, though the rougher things he left out of it because Ayla didn’t look the type to appreciate such a display and he wasn’t comfortable with it anyhow. His method was more straightforward, no mucking about, just get the job done. Ayla had been quick to climax and he sensed she may just do it again soon, but he was having trouble focusing and couldn’t bring himself to release. Ayla cupped the back of his neck, drawing him down closer so that she could whisper into his ear.  
  
  
“Captain?”    
  
  
“Major.. “  
  
  
“Major.. My will has been broken.. I.. I.. _I surrender!”_  Ayla cried out loudly, catching David’s attention briefly as he glanced over and quirked a brow, he hadn’t expected Jack to be able to bring a woman to climax twice. Neither had Jack, he really hadn’t a clue what he was doing but Ayla really seemed to be enjoying it regardless. Jack was unable to look around, she still had a firm hold on the back of his neck and he finally started to shake uncontrollably.  
  
  
_“Yes! Yes!”_ Ayla picked up on it instantly, _“open fire!”_  
  
  
Jack lost it at the last comment and he exploded deeply inside of her, sounds coming from him that he’d never made before. Ayla shivered with the sensations, holding him tightly against her to feel each and every twitch of his body. His expression was curious, shocked and surprised with a roll of his eyes as they closed, his head lowering once more. Ayla felt a little guilty as she thought that he came a bit like someone who was very inexperienced and indeed she got that impression when he kept trying to copy what David was doing - minus the tying up and spanking and such. Was he new to this?  
  
  
She hated to think that she had taken his virginity, that really should have been given to someone who loved him and cared for him, not just thrown away on a one night stand.  
  
  
Jack couldn’t know her thoughts, or he’d have told her that yes, he was inexperienced but no, he was not a virgin; just a little less well-traveled than she might have expected. Jack withdrew from Ayla as they had calmed and sat to glare angrily over at David and Candy, who were still going at it at full throttle.  
  
  
David had Candy pushed into the wall now, fucking her hard and fast, giving her the occasional spank here and there to keep her crying out loudly for him.  
  
  
“Do you want to join them?” Ayla suddenly asked Jack, making the connection at last and Jack’s cheeks were aflame with embarrassment. This had been his own idea, but Jack hadn’t a clue that it’d bother him so greatly to see David fucking someone other than himself. It really shouldn’t have, but it did. Ayla began to massage Jack’s shoulders, which were incredibly tense despite his recent ejaculation.  
  
  
“You are a soldier, Jack,” Ayla gave him permission, “generally if a soldier wants something, he just goes and takes it.”  
  
  
“I daren’t,” Jack breathed hotly, his eyes fixated upon David's thrusting hips, “he wouldn’t.. let me.. “  
  
  
Ayla could tell Jack was enjoying her massage, his muscles were loosening and he was getting hard again so she kept it up and got closer to his ear.  
  
  
“So it is David that you desire, hm?” Ayla grew incredibly excited at the thought of something so taboo, “well commander, _mount and conquer_.. “  
  
  
Jack did not correct her and simply stared harder at David’s ass.  
  
__  
“Mount and conquer.. “ Ayla whispered the words to him over and over until his breathing was ragged and his eyes were half closed with lust. Ayla sat back with wide eyes as Jack suddenly moved off the bed and walked purposefully over to David and Candy, who were so lost in the throes of their own building climaxes that they paid him little to no attention at all. Until he got up onto the bed behind David and grasped his hips, David grunted and glanced over his shoulder, hazy and almost at his moment of release.  
  
  
_“Jah_.. Jack?” David panted, “wha.. _uhh.. “_  
  
  
His groan followed the nudging sensation of Jack’s erection as it prodded at his entrance, David relaxed and let him in, startling Jack as his cock slipped in slowly and he experienced a tightness surrounding his throbbing shaft that he’d never felt before. David grimaced and growled, clutching at Candy’s breasts harder until she howled, her orgasm defying her as she tried to hold out but knowing that Jack was taking David right behind her was too much of a thrill to ignore and she had to submit at long last. David continued thrusting into her, slowing down a little so that Jack could fall into a rhythm that matched his own, the clearly clueless soldier needed all the help he could get.  
  
  
_“Huhh_ , fucking _push_ , damnit!” David snarled at Jack, who was struggling to figure it out. He held onto David’s hips and bit his bottom lip, pushing in as hard as he could. David groaned and started to thrust faster, forcing Jack to keep pace with him but he found it easier now because he was buried so deeply inside of David that he’d stopped slipping out every so often. David’s eyes closed, not resisting anymore and Jack took control of the movements, following the submission and leading the threesome into climax.  
  
  
Candy came into her second orgasm first, David’s finger on her clit sent her mad with desire but his groans and the knowledge that he was being owned was too much and sent her right over the edge. David’s groans were deep and relaxed, Jack was fucking him long and slow to ensure maximum pleasure and it was driving David crazy.  
  
  
Watching from the other bed, Ayla was masturbating and close to orgasm herself, crying out and coming hard as she saw David reach around and start spanking Jack hard and firmly. Jack startled at the first slap, which caused him to thrust hard and fast into David. This was the idea though, David knew Jack’s body would jolt each time he spanked that firm, perfectly sculpted ass and he could control the pace at which Jack thrust then.  
  
  
Jack was shocked at the sudden turn of events and he grunted with each slap, the sting soon almost unbearable and yet somehow, he didn’t mind it. With a final outcry, David threw back his head and released into Candy, his strong, pulsing spurts making her moan with pleasure as he ground his hips hard into her. Jack’s breath caught in his throat, turned on by the display and the surrender, David’s moans sending him over the edge moments later. David closed his eyes and groaned, lowering his head as Jack claimed him and filled him with his explosion, humility written in his expression as he succumbed to the soldier’s insistent claim upon him.  



	23. It's Confusing These Days

Ayla curled up, breathlessly watching the three. Jack carefully pulled free from the group, sitting back as David gently removed his cock from Candy, who collapsed and breathed heavily with satisfaction. Turning himself around, David met Jack eye to eye. Perspiration glistened on Jack’s muscular body, his chest was rising and falling rapidly but with a soldier’s endurance he wasn’t in the least bit tired and could easily go again within minutes. Jack’s expression was adamant but wary, uncertain if he’d crossed a line or not and somewhat unashamed of what he’d done just now.  
  
  
“I think you guys need to talk,” Ayla said gently to them, after no words were spoken between the pair for several heated moments. It felt like a silent stand-off, to see who would make the first move, each daring the other to try something, their gazes were locked firmly and their heads were held high with an air of dominance.  
  
  
“Oh, we are so past talking,” David growled, his nose scrunching a little in a kind of snarl as he spoke. Jack swallowed dryly, suddenly less sure of himself and David was quick to notice the subtle change in Jack’s demeanor. Candy shifted and moved off the bed, her legs wobbling as she gathered up her discarded clothing and silently left the room. She was tired and she’d just had the best fuck of her life so far, she wasn’t interested in being around a potential fist fight between these two and once she was clothed she headed out and went home. Ayla remained behind, she felt a strong pull towards Jack that she found impossible to ignore.   
  
  
Jack turned to climb down from the bed and David grabbed his waist, pinning him down onto his front. Jack grunted and tried to get up, but David pressed him down and Jack hesitated. Ayla sat up a little, watching them fearfully and hoping that they wouldn’t get violent with her still in the room.   
  
  
“Explain!” David rasped into Jack’s ear, “before I return the favor and none too carefully either!”   
  
  
“You can’t!” Jack challenged him, “you’ve just came! Ah!”    
  
  
He felt David’s already semi erect member nudging at his rear sharply, just once and then again for good measure.   
  
  
“Alright!” Jack relented, “I just.. I wanted to that’s all. I saw an opportunity to.. to.. “    
  
  
“To get me back?” David wondered, “I didn’t think you had it in you.”    
  
  
He sat back and smiled approvingly, he hadn’t pictured Jack as the sort of person to take revenge on anyone, no matter how angry he got. Ayla watched as David got up and gathered up his clothes, then he left the room and she looked over at Jack.   
  
  
“Why didn’t you tell him the truth?” she asked.   
  
  
“What truth?” Jack averted his gaze, “that’s all there was to it, Ayla.”    
  
  
He slowly moved off the bed, picking up his pants and Ayla walked over to him, both of them were still nude.   
  
  
“Come and wash up with me,” Ayla coaxed him, taking his hand and Jack followed her without protest into the adjoining shower room.   
  
  
“I know that you fancy him,” Ayla murmured, her lips moving against his neck when she turned to pull him into her embrace. Jack closed his eyes, saying nothing of it either way. Ayla was highly aroused by Jack’s attraction to David, the imagery of them on the bed just moments ago still fresh in her mind, spiking her libido sky high. Her lips met with his and they kissed, stumbling over to the shower stall. Jack was confused as to why the water hadn’t suddenly come streaming down over them, almost forgetting that not everybody could afford such a luxury, not even businesses. He stood back as Ayla turned on the water, adjusting the temperature until it was just right and Jack was staring off into space by the time it was warm enough for them to get in under it. The stream of water was narrow, suitable for just one person and Jack fought the urge to take it over first.   
  
  
“After you,” he said softly, quelling his inner fighter. Back before he’d met David, there were times when getting a shower was just not possible unless you got in before everybody else. This often meant showering in blood spattered stalls and stepping on a tooth here and there, where some poor bastard lost it during a struggle to get into the shower while it was already being occupied. There were strict water usages, time limits and the availability of hot water was severely lacking. Yet it was just a shower to many others, such a thing was easily taken for granted when you didn’t have to fight for the right to have it. As for being a prisoner of war, forget the hot water altogether. You were lucky to get doused with a bucket of cold water once a week and you were damned thankful for it, too.  
  
  
“Jack?” Ayla’s voice brought him back to the shower stall, “are you okay?”   
  
  
“I’m fine,” Jack replied automatically, his lips pressing together to form a tight smile.   
  
  
“It’s just, you seemed like you were miles away just now,” Ayla soaped herself up, looking at him with mild concern.   
  
  
“It happens sometimes, it’s no big deal,” Jack reassured her, “I just remember things and.. It sort of just takes me away for a moment.”    
  
  
Ayla frowned, it sounded a lot like post traumatic stress to her, most likely caused by the war and she figured that Jack ought to see a doctor about it.   
  
  
“Do you get flashbacks very often?” she asked him, moving aside so he could wash up next.   
  
  
Jack avoided the question, unsure if memory dreams counted or not, he washed himself and leaned back, looking at her with a glint in his eyes that Ayla knew all too well. She wasn’t really into one night flings the way Candy was, that woman habitually picked up guys like they were going out of fashion or something, but she knew the look of desire in a man’s gaze when she saw it.   
  
  
“Ready for some more, Major?” she teased him with a coy smile, her eyes dropping to his rising erection and finding it resting comfortably in his hand. Jack blushed, he’d already came twice but he found her so desirable, it was such a strange, new sensation to the inexperienced soldier.   
  
  
“Don’t look so guilty, Jack,” Ayla smiled at him gently, “if it makes you feel any better, your muscular body is driving me wild.. I feel so weak under your steely blue gaze, sir.. “    
  
  
Jack’s pupils dilated when she spoke to him so formally, triggering another flashback into his mind’s eye that left his body tense and rigid. Standing in that clearing, surrounded by Japanese soldiers barking at them to surrender and lay down their arms. Everyone looked to Jack with wide eyes, fearfully calling out to him. _“Sir!” “Sir?” “What do we do, sir?”_  It was the younger members of the group, their voices tremored with uncertainty and faint hope that he might have had a plan to get them out of this. Some of them were shot and Jack was forced to tell them to throw down their weapons and surrender. He remembered being grabbed and thrown to the ground, a boot resting hard on his upper back and the end of a rifle digging into the back of his neck.   
  
  
Something touched his arm and he startled, Ayla backed off a little way and Jack let out a long breath of air, unaware he’d been holding it in until just now.  
  
  
“Jack,” Ayla spoke softly, “I know you don’t want to hear this but.. “   
  
  
He stepped forwards and she placed a hand upon his chest, preventing him from moving past her.   
  
  
“I’m dealing with it, alright?” Jack assured her, “just drop it.”   
  
  
Ayla searched his eyes, they were fierce and hard but there was also a kind of apathetic look to them, as if he’d given up and no longer gave a damn about anyone or anything. She reached up and touched his face, marveling at the way his icy gaze softened somewhat, setting her desire ablaze all over again.   
  
  
“Would you invite me over tonight, Jack?” Ayla asked him quietly, feeling his arms come around her to embrace her tightly.   
  
  
“I can’t wait that long,” Jack’s breath was warm against her cooling skin, causing her to shiver in delightful anticipation.  
  



	24. Deeper And Deeper

Ayla moaned as Jack slowly began to kiss and suck at her neck, she fell back into the shower stall wall and he lifted her up as her legs wrapped around his waist. She arched when he entered her, the water streamed down his back but he paid it no mind and with eyes closed, sought to kiss her mouth. Ayla parted her lips, their tongues quickly finding one another and soft groans began to escape from both of them. His strong hands supported her ass easily, fingers splayed out so she would be a little more comfortable. Ayla broke the kiss to throw back her head and uttered loud cries of encouragement, feeling his teeth graze her throat, his lips and tongue soon following to soothe the gently bitten area. Ayla got louder and louder, her body tensing up and shaking as she thrust in time with him.   
  
  
Jack panted and clenched his teeth, shutting his eyes tightly as his vision turned white for a moment, climaxing hard into her as she quickly reached her orgasm. He heard his name fall from her lips, felt her inner walls tighten and squeeze around his pulsing shaft, groaned her name in response and waited for his senses to return. With shaking legs, he let her slowly lower herself down until she stood upon her own two feet, his cock slipping carefully out of her. They embraced, the water still cascading down over them as they breathed heavily, supporting one another as they both were quite exhausted by now. Ayla didn’t want to leave, but Candy was her ride home. Jack took her hand into his and led her back to the room, but it wasn’t fit for sleeping in anymore. They dried each other off, shy smiles and awkward averting of wandering eyes kept the room silent as they then got dressed and wondered what more there was to say.   
  
  
“I guess I should go,” Jack broke the stillness around them first, “David will be waiting for me.”   
  
  
Ayla looked into his eyes and chewed on her bottom lip, wanting to say more to him but she could only offer a soft ‘goodnight’ as he kissed her cheek, thanked her quietly for a wonderful evening and left without looking back. She slowly exited the room and made her way back downstairs to find Candy, who was smoking at the bar and looking exactly like she should after such a rough and tumble session.   
  
  
“You look like hell,” Ayla commented.  
  
  
“I’m going home anyway,” Candy shrugged, “ugh best damn fuck of my life!”  
  
  
Ayla smiled dreamily and Candy sat back a little, her brow furrowed with disapproval.  
  
  
“Hey! Snap out of it!” Candy said sharply, clicking her fingers in front of Ayla’s eyes and making her blink suddenly, “you’re not supposed to fall in love with him!”   
  
  
Ayla blushed profusely, but she honestly couldn’t help it.   
  
  
“Oh Candy, honestly!” Ayla sighed with exasperation, “you know very well I already had a crush on him before we even started!”    
  
  
Candy put out her cigarette and blew the smoke from her mouth slowly, nodding at last.   
  
  
“Yeah I remember now,” Candy relented, “so you’re crushing harder now, is that it?”   
  
  
“I am,” Ayla looked worried, “Candy, you told me that if I fucked him, I’d get it out of my system and I’d be able to move on!”   
  
  
“Yeah well.. “ Candy looked a bit lost, “I mean what do I know? Works for me, I think you may have genuine feelings for this guy, Ayla. You’d best get rid of them quick smart, soldiers are not exactly ideal family material.”   
  
  
Ayla was aware that Jack may have his problems and that he seemed to want David rather than herself, but she just couldn’t get him out of her head.   
  
  
“He’s really under my skin, Candy,” Ayla admitted, “that’s it, there’s nothing I can do about it now.”   
  
  
“Cheer up,” Candy got to her feet, “you’ll probably never see him again anyway.”   
  
  
Ayla stood up and followed her outside, frowning.   
  
  
“How is that supposed to cheer me up, exactly?” Ayla wondered.  
  
  
“I dunno,” Candy shrugged, “out of sight, out of mind.. Isn’t that how the saying goes?”   
  
  
Ayla got into the car, put on her seatbelt and sat back with a sigh. If only it were that simple, even before she had met Jack face to face, she had been dreaming about him. Now that they had met and been intimate with one another, those dreams were only going to get more vivid and real. Candy slid into the driver’s seat and buckled up, casting a glance over at Ayla briefly before starting the engine.  
  
  
“How fucking hot were they, though?” Candy ventured.   
  
  
Ayla broke out in a huge grin and she blushed as they both giggled and the car pulled away from the curb.  
  
  
“Do you really think we’ll never see them again?” Ayla asked wistfully, “seems a shame.”   
  
  
Candy drove towards Ayla’s house first so she could drop her off before heading home herself, she thought about the question and found herself secretly hoping they did run into the two men again sometime soon.  
  
  
“I don’t know,” Candy replied at last, “but I can tell you one thing for sure, nobody is ever going to measure up anymore, if you catch my drift!”   
  
  
Ayla blushed hard again, nodding.  
  
  
“I’ve never seen such huge.. “ Ayla trailed off, her face burning crimson by now. Candy laughed quietly, already missing and pining for David’s touch but refusing to mention it or admit it to anyone. 


	25. Figuring It Out

David took a quick shower once the pair had arrived home, but neither of them said a word and simply stripped off nude and went to bed. Morning saw Jack once again curled up in David’s bed, hugging him like a stuffed toy around his midsection and snuggling up close. He raised his hand and ran his fingers through Jack’s hair, Jack responded by nuzzling his cheek into David’s bare chest but he didn’t wake up right away. There was a kind of peaceful feeling within them both right now, David noticed it first because Jack was a little high strung and should have woken at his touch. Not to mention the fact that David usually felt like he was wasting the day if he stayed in bed for longer than a minute after awakening and yet he was perfectly content to just stay put.   
  
  
He was a little hazy about remembering last night, he was only tipsy though and he did manage to recall what Jack had ended up doing. Right in front of the two women, as if to proclaim it without an ounce of shame. Jack had claimed revenge as his reason for doing so, if this were true then it was successful because David was quite embarrassed even though he did not let on to anyone at the time. He was a dominant partner in bed and Jack had taken that role from him without warning, David had enjoyed the sex to no end but he felt that Jack still had yet to learn his place here.   
  
  
Jack suddenly tensed up and let out a deafening howl, it sounded like a blood curdling cry of pain and anguish and it startled David into sitting bolt upright in his bed. This in turn moved Jack and the soldier woke with a startle of his own, breathing heavily and glancing around wildly with dilated pupils.   
  
  
“Jack!” David scolded him, “what the hell!?”   
  
  
Jack swallowed dryly, his heart was beating too fast and it felt like it may just smash right out of his chest.   
  
  
“What happened?” Jack asked quietly, already hyper alert and ready for a fight that just wasn’t going to happen.   
  
  
“Put your hackles down,” David said stiffly, “you just about gave me a heart attack, that’s what happened.”   
  
  
Jack looked at him blankly.  
  
  
“I was asleep,” Jack defended himself, “you’re the one who woke me!”   
  
  
David sighed heavily, clearly Jack did not remember screaming just now and so he was going to have to try and be more patient with him.   
  
  
“Jack you’ve just screamed in a way I have never heard anyone scream in my life,” David informed him firmly.  
  
  
“Oh,” Jack furrowed his brow, “well then.. I apologize.”   
  
  
“Don’t,” David looked into Jack’s icy blue gaze.   
  
  
Jack nodded hesitantly and David pulled him back down to cuddle on the bed, but Jack squirmed out of his arms and got up to stretch and yawn. How curious that he would deny his true feelings but David had no idea and simply figured that Jack wasn’t really the cuddling type. Well, neither was David but he felt that he should extend some form of comfort to the clearly traumatized soldier. He would have to think of something else, but when he got up from the bed and they both were standing there with nothing on, Jack was now watching David carefully.  
  
  
“Want to talk about it?” David ventured.   
  
  
“No,” Jack replied shortly.   
  
  
This was quite likely Jack’s biggest problem, he never talked about what was bothering him and just kept it all bottled up inside. David had come from a military family and they had always been encouraged to talk things out rather than hide them. Of course, David would only book his therapist once a month or so just to unload and vent on someone who had to keep his privacy intact. He would never actually admit that he even went to one, of course he did have other ways to relieve his stress but sometimes it just wasn’t enough.   
  
  
“You were with Ayla for quite a while after we were done,” David changed the subject, “what did you two get up to?”   
  
  
Jack just blushed and averted his gaze, which made David grin at him amusedly.   
  
  
“Is it serious?” David wondered.   
  
  
“Nah,” Jack shrugged it off, but David couldn’t help noticing that Jack was not leaving the room or even looking like he was going to anytime soon.   
  
  
“What more can I do for you Jack?” asked David, “I am keen to help you in any way that I can but I am going to need you to spell it out for me sometimes.”   
  
  
Jack was silent and David looked at his muscular body, admiring it and desiring it but keeping his comments to himself. Jack liked David’s body as well, it wasn’t muscular but it was well toned and the muscle was definitely there just under the surface.   
  
  
“I’m going to work this morning,” David reminded Jack, “you’ll be alright on your own?”   
  
  
“I always am,” Jack answered him dubiously.  
  
  
“You’re always alright,” David wondered, “or you’re always alone?”   
  
  
Jack stared at him with his harsh blue eyes and David looked past this to the difference with which Jack was behaving, he hadn’t spoken disrespectfully for a long while and it got him thinking that perhaps his plan was working and Jack was learning to be more sociable. He also noticed Jack’s gaze drop down and David lifted a brow.   
  
  
“I’d better shower first,” David spoke casually, walking towards the door and acutely aware of Jack’s eyes following him. He turned and looked back at the soldier, who darted his eyes away.   
  
  
“Care to join me?” David offered.   
  
  
Jack lifted his gaze slowly to meet with David’s, his stare was hard and David walked off and went into the bathroom. A few moments later, he sensed Jack’s presence right behind him and he smiled faintly..


	26. Taking The Bait

Jack stood silently in the doorway, watching for a while as David got into the shower alone and began to slowly rub himself down. Jack figured that if he was in a hurry to get to work, he should really be washing himself much faster than that.   
  
  
David was well aware of the time, his impeccable habits ensured that he had a clock on every wall, even a waterproof one inside the shower stall itself. He knew exactly how much time he had and he was deliberately trying to tease Jack, eager to coax him into the shower for some extra attention before they had to go their separate ways for the day. Jack tilted his head, his guard coming back up suddenly.  
  
  
“What are you doing?” Jack asked idly, leaning against the door.  
  
  
“I’m taking a shower,” David informed him, “did you want to come in or not?”  
  
  
“Not,” Jack spoke bluntly.  
  
  
“Suit yourself,” David turned and ran his fingers slowly through his slickened hair, closing his eyes as the water cascaded sensually over his naked form. Jack shifted uncomfortably, wanting to look away but he just ended up looking David up and down.  
  
  
“What makes you think I want to anyway?” Jack wondered sharply, “I’m not a fag you know.”  
  
  
David did not get riled up this time, he knew Jack by now and this was his display of teeth and claws to try to intimidate but it wasn’t going to work.  
  
  
“Do not mistake my kindness for weakness, Jack,” David warned him.  
  
  
“I suppose you’re going to tell me to just get over it?” Jack wondered, as many had told him this already but it was easier said than done, nobody understood his pain.  
  
  
“I’m not going to tell you to get over it, Jack,” David replied calmly, “I’m going to help you get through it.”  
  
  
“Do you honestly think I want your help?” Jack growled.  
  
  
“You might not want it, no,” David answered him, “but you sure as Hell need it.”  
  
  
Jack stared at David with a harsh gaze, his eyes colder than ice in that moment. David simply turned away and gestured to the sponge that was resting on the side of the stall, he had soaped it up already.  
  
  
“Get my back would you?” David asked.  
  
  
Jack pursed his lips, but stepped forwards hesitantly and picked up the sponge, placing it against David’s back and starting to wash it firmly.  
  
  
_“Ohh,”_ David groaned on purpose, _“yess._. Just a little lower.. “  
  
  
Jack lowered the sponge to the small of David’s back, then without prompt, he dropped it to David's rear. Making circular motions with the sponge, Jack seemed to forget his defenses and David entwined his fingers with Jack’s free hand. Jack did not protest, so they held hands for a while and Jack leaned over and kissed David’s neck and shoulder.  
  
  
_“Jack.. “_ David breathed, letting him lead just to see where it might go.  
  
  
Jack’s inexperience meant for uninventive and unoriginal moves but David could enjoy the change and perhaps show him the ropes if he was truly interested. Jack was keen to explore this avenue of his life, his conflicted feelings about the subject made him uneasy and bitey, which would have offended most others and would have certainly had him sent back out onto the street for his efforts.  
  
  
“Hmm?” Jack hummed softly, nibbling at David’s earlobe now.  
  
  
David let go of Jack’s hand and pushed down onto Jack’s shoulders, surprised at how quickly Jack dropped to his knees. Jack gazed up with a curious stare and David’s smoldering eyes watched him as he took hold of David’s stiff shaft and began to stroke it into his palm. Jack looked back down and closed his eyes, taking the thick, lengthy member into his mouth expertly. David groaned and leaned back against the wall, he was quite composed until Jack ran his hands up along David’s shins. David shivered as Jack’s palms began to massage and rub at his knees, which made David groan louder and swear under his breath.  
  
  
David grabbed Jack’s hair, pulling it tightly and making him grunt and frown. Jack continued massaging David’s knees, enjoying the way David was losing his cool, calm exterior and was starting to thrust his hips. David began to breathe heavily, panting and cursing, uttering Jack’s name and thrusting. With his head thrown back, David suddenly came hard and fast, quite an unexpected turn of events because he prided himself on being quite long lived before finally ejaculating. Surely he had far more stamina than this but Jack had located a sweet spot on David’s body and had utilized it perfectly. The soldier clearly had an eye for details, nothing got by this one, David was going to have to be more vigilant from now on.  
  
  
It seemed as though Jack was far more perceptive than he had ever let on, which was going to make for a very interesting next several weeks. Jack slowly stood up, kissing David’s sensitive stomach and trailing his kisses right up to David’s chest. David was still riding his high, reaching his orgasmic peak as Jack suckled one of his nipples experimentally into his mouth; and that was when David arched his back with pleasure and _ really _ got noisy..


	27. Off To Work

David stumbled back into the wall, his hands came up to run through Jack’s wet hair and his fingers dug in sharply, causing Jack to wince and groan softly in response. Licking David’s nipples, then attacking his neck with kisses, Jack was asserting his dominance again but David had other ideas. He had picked up on the fact that Jack was responding favorably to small amounts of pleasure-pain, so David was curious to know just how far he could push Jack before it got too much for the soldier to tolerate.   
  
  
He ran his hands down over Jack’s shoulder blades, slid them over his ass and rubbed it for a while before he finally raised one hand and brought it down firmly with a loud slapping sound. Jack grunted at the spanking but continued kissing and biting at David’s neck and ears, now bringing his hands up to pinch and twist David’s nipples. David hummed softly and closed his eyes, he slapped Jack’s ass again, twice more very quickly, harder than the first one and Jack uttered a soft whining noise in response, his body jolting with each spank.  
  
  
“Do you like that?” David murmured, rubbing Jack’s ass to soothe it gently.  
  
  
“Do it again,” Jack breathed hotly against David’s skin, “harder.. “  
  
  
He couldn’t believe he was asking David to do this, but it felt good for some reason and David obliged him the request, spanking Jack harder and more firmly to enjoy the grunts of pleasure. Jack rubbed his growing erection against David’s hip, squeezing his eyes shut and biting down hard onto David’s shoulder now.  
  
  
_“Ah!_ _No.. “_ Jack moaned and came, spurting all down David’s leg and he breathed heavily, nuzzling David’s cheek and looking to kiss his mouth, so David moved his head and captured Jack’s lips with his own, finishing himself off by squeezing his cock and shooting his load into the shower streams.  
  
  
He ran his hands lightly up and down Jack’s ribs, pushing him backwards into the wall and deepening the kiss with his tongue. Jack relaxed against the wall, accepting David’s tongue into his mouth and sighing with content. David withdrew after a while, meeting Jack’s gaze with his own as they pressed foreheads together.  
  
  
“I’ll see you this evening,” David told him firmly, “there’s a few students who need to talk to me after hours, you’ll be alright?”    
  
  
“I’ll be fine,” Jack said quietly, his expression calm and not at all dejected.  
  
  
“Alright,” David smiled at him, kissing his lips softly and stroking his cheek with his fingertips, “be careful, Jack.”  
  
  
He found that he was starting to actually care for the soldier, as he moved away from Jack in order to get out of the shower. Jack watched him and frowned when David paused, he stood up straighter and started to wash his hair with the shampoo and David got out to dry himself off. He watched Jack washing himself while he got dressed and he couldn’t help but smile at him again, he had come so far in a short amount of time, it was a pleasing result. David often experimented with people and tested things on them but this was starting to become something more and he wasn’t sure if he was comfortable with how close he felt to Jack.  
  
  
David liked to keep his distance from people and emotions, but it was starting to get lonely in his big house and every room he visited just felt empty, no matter how many material possessions he crammed into them to try and fill the void. He combed his hair until it was just right, then he walked out and went to work.  
  
  
Jack stayed in the shower for a few more minutes, then he got out and dried himself off. He pulled on a pair of pants, socks and boots, grabbed up a shirt and explored the house a little more. His interest was piqued when he came across a room full of gym equipment and he smiled to himself, this would be a much better way to keep himself occupied and out of trouble than going out to find the nearest bar to get wasted in. He looked around at everything and decided to spend the day in here, only emerging to drink, eat, rest or shower after he felt that he had perspired enough.  
  
  
David was distracted all day, he taught his regular classes plus a couple of extra ones because one of his colleagues had called in sick this morning and they hadn’t had enough time to locate a substitute for them. He was then in his office to see some students after hours, some genuinely needed help, others were flirty and one girl even pressed her foot into his crotch to try and get him aroused, but David was just too keen on getting home and making sure Jack was alright to really take much notice of it and she had left quite disappointed. He sometimes did let them get to him and pull them into his lap, making out and fondling but it didn’t go any further than that on the premises. If they wanted something more, they’d have to find him at a bar or someplace away from work.


	28. Looking Forward

When David got home, he looked around nervously, wondering if Jack was even still here or not.  
  
  
“Jack?” he called, setting down his briefcase, “are you home?”  
  
  
He waited, then glanced up as Jack hurried down the stairs.  
  
  
“Didn’t hear you come in,” Jack greeted him with a grin and a quick pinch to his rear, which made David startle slightly, “how was work?”  
  
  
“You’re in a good mood,” David noted, ignoring the question because he was pretty certain Jack was just being friendly and really couldn’t care any less about his day.  
  
  
“I found your gym,” Jack grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, “phew, has it been all day already?”  
  
  
“It’s past nine,” David informed him, “have you eaten?”  
  
  
“Just a little,” Jack responded breathlessly, gulping down the entire bottle.  
  
  
“I’ll make dinner then,” David offered, “I’m not great but it’s edible at least.”  
  
  
Jack smiled and laughed.  
  
  
“Better than a tin of cold beans, though,” Jack told David, “can I help?”  
  
  
“If you like,” David lifted a brow, thinking that Jack's mood had certainly improved over the span of just the one day while he’d been out.  
  
  
“What do you need me to do?” Jack wondered.  
  
  
“I could make braised steak and onions,” David suggested, “would you cut the beef into cubes?”  
  
  
“Easy,” Jack pulled out a knife and then he just stared at it for a while. David watched him curiously, but Jack seemed to have frozen for some reason.  
  
  
“Jack?” David ventured gently, hoping he wasn’t about to regress. Jack gave a start and glanced back over at David, flashing him a grin as if nothing was wrong.  
  
  
“Beef’s in the fridge right?” Jack asked, opening the cooler and taking out the plate, “I’ll have it diced in no time flat.”  
  
  
“Are you alright?” David asked him.  
  
  
“Yeah,” Jack nodded, “I’m fine.”  
  
  
But that was a phrase David was becoming skeptical towards and refused to believe it whenever it came from Jack. He left it for now and they got to work making dinner, Jack seemed really keen to learn and kept asking David questions. David was more than happy to answer the ones he knew, but really cooking was not his speciality and he just sort of threw things together and hoped they tasted good when he was done.  
  
  
As they were eating at the dinner table, Jack looked around and sat back a little.  
  
  
“This place is huge,” he said with a light shake of his head, “how are you even still single, David? There should be a lovely wife here to greet you when you come home, a couple of little ones in the yard.. “  
  
  
“I haven’t quite met the right woman,” David said softly, it wasn’t like he didn’t want a family, of course he did but he needed to find somebody ideal for his lifestyle. She couldn’t be the suspicious, clingy or jealous sort and she needed to understand and accept that sometimes, he needed to indulge himself with intimate, male companionship every once in awhile.  
  
  
“What about you?” David wondered, “you seemed pretty keen on that woman.. Uh, what was her name?”  
  
  
Jack returned his attention back down to his plate, now pushing the food around with his fork rather than eating it.  
  
  
“Ayla,” Jack replied quietly, “I thought you paid for her, though?”  
  
  
“No,” David replied honestly, “they weren’t like that, I promise you.”  
  
  
Jack felt a bit better then, because he had figured she was just doing what she’d been paid to do.  
  
  
“I might give her a call sometime then,” Jack mused.  
  
  
David hoped he would follow through on that, he genuinely wanted Jack to be happy in love and Ayla hadn’t seemed bothered by the fact that he and Jack had something together, she had still wanted to see Jack again.  
  
  
“That’s a very good idea,” David encouraged him, “it’d give you a good excuse to go out and socialize.”  
  
  
Jack wasn’t too keen on doing the whole dating thing, he was a little shy and inexperienced but he would make an effort just to perhaps see where it might go.  
  
  
“Would I still be able to come and see you if it works out with her?” Jack asked, eyes downcast.  
  
  
“Of course,” David nodded to him, “does this mean you’re really going to ask her out?”  
  
  
Jack smiled bashfully, shrugging and starting to eat again, so David could only hope that this was a good sign as they both finished their dinner and retreated to the sofa for some downtime before bed.  
  
  
“Have you got her number?” David asked.  
  
  
“Yeah,” Jack replied, “found it in my pocket this afternoon.”  
  
  
Jack slowly reached over and placed his hand firmly on David’s knee, giving it a gentle squeeze and David looked up at his hopeful eyes. David took Jack’s hand and pulled him closer, leaning in to make out with the eager soldier and he was impressed at how much his kissing skills had improved..

  
  



	29. Moving On/Moving In

The next morning, after David had left for work with much more confidence than yesterday, Jack spent a few hours in the gym and then he felt a little adventurous and wandered downstairs. He picked up the phone and took out Ayla’s number, hesitantly dialing and then fidgeting as he heard it ringing. Ayla picked up and Jack froze, he meant to say something but found he couldn’t.  
  
  
“Hello?” Ayla prompted him, “who is this?”  
  
  
“It-it’s Jack,” he finally managed.  
  
  
“Jack!” Ayla gushed, clearly excited to hear from him, “hello!! How are you?”  
  
  
“Better,” Jack responded, “thank you.. Are um, are you free at all?”  
  
  
“Right now?” Ayla wondered, “sure.. What’s up?”  
  
  
“I’d like to come over,” Jack rubbed the back of his neck, “if that’s alright?”  
  
  
“Of course it is!” Ayla beamed happily, she then gave him the address and Jack headed outside.  
  
  
It felt a little strange, because he’d spent the better part of the week indoors, but he soon picked up his pace and headed over to Ayla’s home. Jack barely had time to knock once he had arrived and the door was swung open, Ayla beamed brightly at him and hugged him tight.  
  
  
“I thought you were never going to call,” she said softly, feeling his strong arms come to embrace her, “what made you finally decide to do it?”  
  
  
“I was thinking about you a lot,” Jack replied honestly, “then I found your number in my pocket.”  
  
  
“Come in,” Ayla led Jack inside and shut the door, smiling at him as he looked around curiously, “I’m really glad to see you again, Jack. I mean that.. “  
  
  
Jack felt a lot less tense when she told him that, easily sitting down on the sofa with her.  
  
  
“Jack.. “ Ayla shifted closer to him, “I hope I’m not being too forward when I say this to you but, I was hoping we could have a relationship together.. “  
  
  
She tensed up nervously, hoping she wasn’t going to send him packing before they’d even got started.  
  
  
“You were?” Jack looked surprised, “that’s funny.. I was thinking the same thing, but I wasn’t sure how to say it.”  
  
  
Ayla brightened up again, taking his hand into hers.  
  
  
“Can you imagine how many people never get together because of this?” she asked Jack.  
  
  
“The fear of rejection is a very powerful emotion,” Jack nodded, “I almost couldn’t even say hello over the phone.. “  
  
  
Ayla looked at him with quite the flattered expression, in her mind, the fact that they were both worried about being rejected just meant that they would work out together because they were both afraid of losing one another. It wasn’t at all one sided and it gave her a huge confidence boost, especially when he blushed and smiled shyly, ducking his head and averting his gaze. She found it so cute, but in the back of her mind she had to keep reminding herself that Jack was a soldier. He’d killed people, he was likely traumatized and in need of a considerable amount of patience and understanding. She had seen him in several places, almost always just drinking himself into a stupor and then being taken home by yet another drunken soldier, she was surprised he hadn’t been involved in an accident.  
  
  
“Well, I’m really glad that you did,” Ayla put her hand on his thigh and Jack took the prompt, leaning in to kiss her.  
  
  
Ayla willingly kissed him right back, opening her mouth to allow his tongue to slip past her lips and she sighed happily, noting that his kissing wasn’t quite so messy as it had been when they’d first met. She had an inkling this was thanks to David, which she felt very turned on by the thought and deepened the kiss lustfully. Pushing forwards, she soon had Jack laying down, with her laying on top of him, their arms around each other and they were still kissing passionately.  
  
  
*  
  
  
The next few months were difficult for the three of them, Jack couldn’t move in with Ayla because he still had what David called ‘episodes’ and it wasn’t a good idea for her to be alone with him during one of them. Jack wouldn’t ever hurt her intentionally, but sometimes he just wasn’t in his right mind and David was doing his best to help the soldier cope, reading plenty of books and asking many of his colleagues who specialized in psychology. But after a while, Jack began to calm down quite a lot and his episodes were less and less frequent.  
  
  
One evening, as Ayla, David and Jack sat eating dinner together and joking about how big the mansion was, Ayla suddenly had a thought.  
  
  
“What if we all just lived here?” she suggested to the men, “I mean, if you don’t mind us, David?”  
  
  
David looked surprised, he was fairly certain they would want to have their own place.  
  
  
“Of course I don’t mind,” David answered her, smiling generously.  
  
  
It was big enough here so that he could still go upstairs and be alone, have his quiet time and not be bothered by anyone.  
  
  
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Jack asked Ayla.  
  
  
“It’s perfect,” Ayla said quietly, “we have everything we need here and we’re close to David.”  
  
  
Jack felt a hot blush creeping into his face, at random intervals, Ayla had crept into the same bed as he and David, sometimes during sex. Likewise, David had joined Jack and Ayla, they all seemed to get along famously and there were no feelings of possession or jealousy from any of them. It was an odd sort of relationship, but Ayla was really keen on David too and he had warmed up to her pretty quickly once she’d started dating Jack and he’d seen how good she was with him.  
  
  
“It’s settled then,” David spoke firmly, “though God knows how I’m going to explain this to my parents.. “  
  
  
Jack and Ayla laughed and David shook his head, looking quite flushed but amused.


	30. A Whisper Of Hope

Jack lay in his bed, Ayla was reclined beside him and reading a magazine when David wandered in to bid them goodnight.   
  
  
“Hop in!” Ayla smiled at him, for the bed was easily big enough, “you know how Jack likes to pile up.”  
  
  
It was true, Jack slept far more deeply whenever there was someone else in the bed with him to cuddle up to, but having two others was even better because it made him feel that much safer. David preferred to sleep alone most nights, though he was getting used to being dragged into bed with Jack and Ayla by now and it just started to become a normal thing with them. He got into the bed, on the other side of Jack because the soldier liked to be sandwiched between them for comfort reasons. Jack was already facing Ayla, his arm draped over her and when David climbed in and spooned him, his eyes closed and he relaxed considerably.  
  
  
The temptation to fuck was always high at night, nobody went to bed with a stitch of clothing on and it often led to naughty hands wandering, giggles in the dark and then either they all fell asleep or a threesome ensued. The best part about having two lovers, was that if one was too tired, you could always fool around with the other and if everyone was up for it, more inventive ways to have sex could be found. Group massages were always wonderfully erotic, the body oil and the soft groans of pleasure ensured both men were hard and Ayla sometimes liked to watch them get together while she pleasured herself but she would usually always end up joining in anyway..  
  
  
It was an amazing feeling, to have two people care for you so much and to care for them right back. Jack even stopped having nightmares and slept peacefully at night, no longer feeling insecure about what the future had in store for him. Ayla insisted that David do something for other soldiers like Jack, so David promised he would look into it and do whatever he could - and he kept that promise.  
  
  
Some time later, Jack quit the military with high honors and wrote a very successful book about his experiences at war which was eventually turned into a box office hit movie.  
  
  
David continued to teach at the University and often asked Jack to come in and give talks whenever he wasn’t busy and Ayla eventually quit her job to stay at home full time with their four children. She would go back to work, but not until her youngest was at least six or seven and in school, she wanted to be there for them always. Two of the children were with David and the other two were with Jack, but they behaved like a family unit and nobody was ever favored or treated better than anyone else.  
  
  
The arrangement they had was favorable for them as a group, it wasn’t for everybody, they understood that but it seemed to work for them and none of them could honestly imagine doing things any differently.  



End file.
